In an op-ed this morning in the Washington Post, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan looks ahead to a major opportunity for moving our country forward with bipartisan support over the next couple years: On many issues, Democrats and Republicans agree, starting with the fact that no one likes how NCLB labels schools as failures, even when they are making broad gains. Parents, teachers, and lawmakers want a system that measures not just an arbitrary level of proficiency, but student growth and school progress in ways that better reflect the impact of a school and its teachers on student learning. Most people dislike NCLB's one-size-fits-all mandates, which apply even if a community has better local solutions than federally dictated tutoring or school-transfer options. Providing more flexibility to schools, districts and states - while also holding them accountable - is the goal of many people in both parties. Both Republicans and Democrats embrace the transparency of NCLB and the requirement to disaggregate data to show achievement gaps by race, income, English proficiency and disability, but they are concerned that NCLB is driving some educators to teach to the test instead of providing a well-rounded education. That is why many people across the political spectrum support the work of 44 states to replace multiple choice "bubble" tests with a new test that helps inform and improve instruction by accurately measuring what children know across the full range of college and career-ready standards, and measures other skills, such as critical-thinking abilities. NCLB's accountability provisions also prompted many states to lower standards, but governors and legislators from both parties in all but a handful of states have rectified the problem by voluntarily adopting higher college and career-ready standards set by state education officials. Finally, almost no one believes the teacher quality provisions of NCLB are helping elevate the teaching profession, or ensuring that the most challenged students get their fair share of the best teachers. More and more, teachers, parents, and union and business leaders want a real definition of teacher effectiveness based on multiple measures, including student growth, principal observation and peer review. These issues are at the heart of the Obama administration's blueprint for reauthorizing ESEA: more flexibility and fairness in our accountability system, a bigger investment in teachers and principals, and a sharper focus on schools and students most at risk.
Looking Ahead to Education Reform
Engaging Rural Communities Through State Fairs Across the Country
Over the past three months, senior leaders from the Administration have been visiting state fairs across the country to meet fair visitors and rural leaders and discuss some of the ways that the Obama Administration is working to support rural communities. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk, Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, and CPSC Chair Inez Tenenbaum are only a handful of the leaders who traveled around the country to enjoy the sites of the state fairs, meet 4-H and FFA young leaders, and discuss the ways that their agencies are working to support the Administration’s vision for keeping rural America strong.
During these visits, we heard firsthand how the economic downturn has created challenges in rural America as well as how rural communities are responding to the downturn by leading the charge on a number of important national priorities, such as increasing the production of renewable energy and reducing our dependence on foreign oil, creating and expanding small businesses, and contributing talent and energy to national service. Members of the Cabinet and other senior officials learned about the importance of agriculture education and supporting the development of the next generation of farmers and ranchers, talked about the Obama Administration’s commitment to making college more affordable and accessible for all students, and discussed the significant investments that are being made in rural communities thanks to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
The steps that the Administration has taken over the past two years to support rural communities – investing in critical rural infrastructure and education, improving access to affordable health care, reforming our financial regulatory systems, promoting biofuels and other renewable energy, and expanding exports, to name a few – are critical building blocks in our effort to keep America’s rural communities strong and vibrant.
Click here to see all the fairs Administration officials visited, and scroll over it for details.
Open for Questions on Education: What You Missed
- Opening remarks
- Should we nationalize our school curriculum?
- What initiatives have been put in place to help students pay for higher education?
- What programs are being put in place to help students refinance their student loans?
- What is being done to provide healthy snacks and lunches to students?
- Should school days, weeks, and years be made longer? Also, should community organizations be involved in local schools?
- How do we encourage teachers to continue to excel and avoid 'initiative fatigue?'
- How can the school system, parents, and communities work to counteract the negative impacts of bullying: both at schools and online?
- What are some examples of successful initiatives to promote math and science in our schools?
- What can be done to help struggling schools afford the qualified math and science teachers that they need to succeed?
- Is No Child Left Behind working? If not, what is being done to reform the program?
- How can students become proactive in being a part of the reform solution at their respective schools
Reaching Out to Rural America: Meeting with Students at the Delaware State Fair
