Education Policies

By funk8

  • 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act (Congressional legislation, federal level)

    • ESEA provided federal funding to states primarily for education programs for disadvantaged students in order to support equity in education.
    • Federal involvement was questioned but justified on the basis of equity (civil rights) legislation and the “spending clause” of the Constitution.

  • 1983 Report “Reclaiming our Nation at Risk” (federal-level report)

    • The message of this report: Our supposedly world-class system of education was not keeping pace with the progress of other nations, and this threatened both our children’s opportunities and our collective (economic) future.
    • In 1983, it was recommend that schools adopt more rigorous and mesurable standards, and higher expectations, for academic peroformance (http://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/accountable/accountable.pdf)

  • 1994 Improving America’s Schools Act and Goals 2000 Educate America Act (Congressional legislation, federal level)

    (http://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/accountable/accountable.pdf)

  • 2002 ESEA Reauthorization: “No Child Left Behind” (Congressional legislation, federal level)

    • State officials have begun setting forth content standards, creating annual tests for students and reporting results. This effort to achieve quity and excellence through standards and accountability. (http://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/accountable/accountable.pd
    • The purpose/goal of the legislation is the same; most funds are in Title 1 for education support for disadvantaged students. • About 10% of public education costs are now funded by the federal government, primarily via NCLB.

  • 2007 ESEA Fails to be Reauthorized. (Congress, federal level)

    • Continuing resolution passed instead, legislation continues “as is” until reauthorized, this continues until present time
    • Failure of reauthorization leads to the actions below, based on the authority of the Department of Education (executive branch of federal government) to make some types of adjustments in legislation without Congressional approval

  • 2009 Race to the Top Grant Competition (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of

    • A small part of ARRA, the Department of Education is given money to distribute as it desires via a grant program. So far four phases: 09, 10, 11. • States are encouraged to work together toward s system of common academic standards, reforming teacher preperation and evaluation, states are asked to prioritize and transform low-performing schools.

  • 2010 ESEA Reauthorization: A Blueprint for Reform (report) (federal Department of Education)

    • This document contains the Department of Education/Obama Administration proposals for changing NCLB when it is reauthorized. The executive branch can propose legislation, but it is written and passed only by Congress, and Congress may be in total disagreement with the executive branch

  • 2010-2011 New Illinois Education Legislation

    • (1) Adoption of common core standards and assessments, (2) new teacher performance evaluation system (3) new teacher certification guidelines and requirements, (4) new data systems of identification of lowest performing schools, and (5) more charter schools and new authorization guidelines

  • 2011 NCLB Waivers/Flexibility