Reauthorization of ESEA, Our Perspective
by Conveners George Wood and Pedro Noguera
After the President's State of the Union speech, speculation has begun about what will happen with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), most recently renamed No Child Left Behind. Reports in the national press cite sources that the Obama administration is ready to address some of the most grievous problems in the current law. That will be a good start, but we want to encourage the Administration and Congress to do more than fix a bad law - we want them to invest in public schools in ways that prepare every young person to use his or her mind well. In a few weeks, we will be releasing a detailed set of recommendations for ESEA. For now, however, we wanted to share our key principles, in the hopes that we might generate a dialogue amongst the public of what they hope for their schools and communities. Since there is no one-size-fits-all plan for improving and supporting public schools, it is the conversations in our neighborhoods and communities that are most important. You, your neighbors, the teachers in your town or city - you are the people who can best design school reform strategies that work for your children, and create, nurture, and support high quality schools across the country.
Take Time to Get It Right
by Forum Convener Judith Browne-Dianis
(originally published in the National Journal Online)
The jury is out as to whether the Obama Administration can move anything this year on ESEA. The Administration's top two agenda items - jobs and health care - have yet to cross the finish line. To introduce ESEA in this context may be a bad sign. Either it won't move or even worse, it will move with no substantial change in order to get a policy win before the mid-term elections. My advice: take it slow on this one, Mr. President. ESEA needs a major overhaul so our children can be the ultimate winners.The goal of accountability is on the right track but how we get there must be re-examined. The focus should no longer be limited, solely, to measuring the success of schools, students and districts based on test-score performance among various groups. This is not the measure of whether children are receiving a high-quality education that prepares them for college.
Featured Resource
Democracy At Risk: The Need for a New Federal Policy in Education
When unveiled, The Forum’s report, Democracy at Risk, was hailed by U.S. Representative George Miller (chair of the House Education Committee) as ‘spot on’ and ‘a place to start in redrafting the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.’ As interest in Washington returns to ESEA, we want to remind policy makers of the agenda The Forum supports. To revisit this report, drafted by Forum Conveners Linda Darling-Hammond and George Wood, click here.