Episode 30: The Politics of Education

Are you doing these critical things to help your child succeed academically? Take the quiz now to find out the important actions you can take to enhance your child's education. Go to my website, liberationthrougheducation.com quiz and.

Take the quiz today.

Foreign.

Welcome to another episode of K12 Education Untangled. My name is Dr. Kim Fields, former corporate manager turned educational researcher and advocate, and I'm the host of this podcast. I got into this space after dealing with some frustrating interactions with school educators and administrators, as well as the microdiscriminations that I faced as an African American mom raising my two kids who were in the public school system. I really wanted to understand how teachers were trained and what the research provided about the challenges of the public education system. If you're looking to find out more about current topics in education that could affect you or your children, then you're in the right place. In today's episode, I'll be discussing the politics of education. Politics is involved in everything, including and especially in education. Politicians determine curriculum policies and educational requirements for all students. This happens at the federal, state, and local levels, with each jurisdiction throwing a pass downfield to other jurisdictions. It's been a long, arduous and complex juxtaposition between politics and education, with everyone staking a claim. It has been and will continue to be a wrangling of power between all stakeholders. I'll discuss a brief history of two of the most recent federal acts, the no Child Left behind act and the Every Student Succeed act, the state implications of those, and what you can do at the local level as a participant in the educational progress of your child. On this episode, let's start out first with an overview of one of the two of the most recent federal laws, that being the no Child Left Behind act of 2001, or Nickelby. It became law in 2002 under President George W. Bush and was viewed as an effort to create more uniform standards for students and schools across the country. It basically shifted the focus from inputs to outcomes, putting a spotlight on the performance of different student success subgroups and using reporting requirements to spur the development of more robust data systems. The no Child Left Behind act of 2001 had mixed effects on the nation's educational ecosystem. It did, however, have several missteps, including setting unrealistic goals and expectations, narrowly focusing on reading and math results, and designing an accountability system with an inflexible one size fits all approach. One aim of legislation was to make every student in the country proficient in reading and math by 2014 the federal government wasn't always involved in education, though their involvement began in earnest with President Lyndon Johnson's 1965 signing of the elementary and Second Secondary Education Act. This initial federal foray into education began a long period in which discussions of money, basically title $1, dominated education policy debates. Student subgroups included disparities by race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, English learner classification, disability status, and other characteristics, all of which are at play in the discussion about academic achieve gaps. The no Child Left behind act required detailed outcome reporting down to the school level for a wide range of student subgroups. If the school failed to meet the definition of Adequate Yearly Progress or ayp, then the whole school would be classified as failing. This accountability illuminated the outcomes of different student subgroups and also revealed some of the largest race based achievement gaps. Accountability requires data and Nickelby requires data on test scores, attendance, racial and ethnic group identification, gender free and reduced price, lunch eligibility, English learner classification, as well as other data points on a yearly basis. Most districts and even some states lacked the technological infrastructure that was necessary to collect data, maintain and report the data. Having unrealistic goals and expectations made into law made Nickel B a bad policy and was what ultimately ruined its public support. Achievement levels today are only slightly higher than they were 20 years ago and there are still large gaps between advantaged students and their less advantaged peers. Well designed accountability systems don't generally generate those types of outcomes. All of Nickleby's accountability policies were designed in Washington, D.C. and then dictated to the states which were given a fair amount of freedom to adapt the system to their realities. There are lessons from the no Child Left behind act that can be applied to the Every Student Succeeds act or esa. Although Nickleby was replaced by esa, the new system remains a predominantly test based accountability system that still requires interventions in the lower scoring 5% of schools. Schools that are found to be failing are put on a plan in which they have three years to turn the school around or more rigorous improvement actions would be implemented. After the third consecutive year of failure, families must be offered the opportunity to pursue free supplemental educational services like tutoring. Continued failure in subsequent years leads to the imposition of a series of school level reforms designed to completely restructure the school. EISA does provide states with a valuable tool and that is the reporting of one or more non academic indicators for broader educational purposes. EISA allows states to be more flexible than Nicole V, yet states are not all following the same playbook. At the state level, policymakers can focus on ensuring students have adequate opportunities, funding, and resources to achieve stated goals. States can also focus on ensuring that all students have equal access to high quality teachers, stimulating curriculum and instruction in adequate resources such as computers, libraries, field trips, and other learning resources. Further, standardized tests should be used cautiously and only in combination with other data in order to avoid creating incentives for narrowed and distorted teaching and learning. Multiple stakeholders, including teachers, administrators, students, parents and community leaders and researchers should be involved in the design of the state's evaluation and inspection programs. There are a number of positive elements that EISA had also illuminated and that represent wise educational investments. These include a focus on early education. The achievement gap is already one standard deviation wide by age 3 of 4 and doesn't decrease as children go through school. Thus, the imperative is on high quality early education which can yield the highest rates of return on investment. Early education should concentrate on broad based experiential learning with an emphasis on subject matter. Knowledge testing should be avoided until grades three or four by expanding learning and using that additional time for deep, engaging enrichment either through after school programs or during the summer. This can be an effective strategy in closing the achievement gap. It would require extending the school day and perhaps the school year, but the emphasis would be on high quality and comprehensive programs. Smaller class sizes demonstrate advantages such as allowing teachers to teach and help students learn by giving more individualized attention to each student. Finally, developing school community partnerships would be essential in building strong, mutually respective communities with parents and other community members. As I highlighted in a previous podcast episode which you can check out, it's episode 29 for my discussion about this Test based accountability does not improve learning. The problem with the strict focus on raising test scores is it introduces less focus on curriculum and more focus on teaching to the test. For with some teachers even providing specific answers to test questions, turning public schools that are failing into charter schools is not the answer either privatizing school hasn't produced across the board or meaningful learning gains. It has in fact led to social segregation which is harmful to society.

Have you had a chance to check out my interactive expert on my website? There are some great conversations and questions going on there. You can check it out at Ask Me Anything. Again, check out the questions and conversations happening there at.

Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama both call education the civil rights issue of our time. Both of their educational legislation provided a construct for accountability for failing public schools. Some states went further than others. States like New Jersey and Massachusetts took over entire school districts, whereas Louisiana created a recovery school district to take failing schools from their districts and hand them to charter school operators. Indiana passed a law doing the same and as well as Tennessee, Michigan, North Carolina and Nevada. School boards, district administrators and teachers unions objected to this oversight and in 2015 Congress backed down replacing Nickleby with ESA, which significantly reduced the pressure on districts to do anything meaningful about failing schools. This opened the door for Michigan, Nevada and North Carolina to to kill off their takeover district plans. Unfortunately, millions of children still languish in low performing schools where they are less likely to develop the skills necessary to get into college or even the military or to succeed in anything except low paying jobs. Most of them are from low income families with many of them black or brown. Maybe this should be a national scandal because not only do black lives matter, Black minds matter too. With this in mind, state policymakers must give districts the tools that they can use, sometimes in the form of legislation, and create incentives to use those tools. If they don't provide these tools, they will sentence millions of poor children to inadequate education that for the most part we will result in lifetimes of poverty. Perhaps that is the true civil rights issue of our time. ESA was signed into law in December 2015 by President Barack Obama. The Every Student Succeeds act provides greater flexibility in the types of assessments students may use. It explicitly authorizes student states to use nationally recognized assessments in high school computer adaptive assessments at all grade levels, and high school math assessments for advanced 8th graders. ESU requires state accountability plans to include five indicators of school quality or student success. These include proficiency on assessments, high school graduation rates, and other academic indicators. Some of these other school quality or student success indicators include student engagement, e.g. chronic absenteeism, teacher engagement, school climate and safety, parent and community involvement, a well rounded curriculum, and access to art and other programs. In the big push to complete ESA state plans, there's been little talk about the law's requirements for school districts to draft their own plans. States are beginning to have local conversations about what those plans should look like. EISA includes key requirements that push a focus on equity in school accountability. States then have to measure how schools are doing for each group of students on each of the indicators in the system. The law leaves many key decisions up to the states on what to measure, how to communicate, how states are doing on those measures, and how to identify when the school needs to take action to improve for any group of students. What the state chooses to measure as part of its accountability system is vital because one of the key things accountability systems do is communicate expectations. If states measure the wrong things, then they run the risk of setting the wrong expectations. Additionally, if states measure too many things, they risk setting too many expectations and having most of those expectations not really matter. Finally, if states measure things that can't be measured for each group of students, then they risk taking attention away from how the school is serving the those particular student groups. ESA requires states to identify any school in which one or more groups of students is consistently underperforming based on targeted support and improvement. Given the flexibility of eisa, states get to decide what quote, end quote, consistently underperforming means. If the school doesn't improve, it's the district that has to take additional action. State board members need to keep an eye toward meaningfully engaging with diverse stakeholders, especially those representing the interests of underserved communities who have the most to gain or lose in this process. This includes low income students, students of color, English learners, and students with disabilities. ESL requires stakeholder engagement facilities States as well as districts. The law explicitly directed states to engage stakeholders. The challenge for the states, specifically state boards of education, is how to help districts leverage this requirement into meaningful local conversations that will ensure that every child has equitable access to a great school. Great schools expect much from their students, but they are also rich with valuable assets, both academic and non academic, to promote student success and achievement, and they are responsive to student needs. Further, great schools offer students rigorous coursework and prepare them for the next steps into the adult world. Educational equity means that every student has access to the resources and educational rigor that they need at the right moment in their educational career, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, language disability, family background, or family income. There has to be strong accountability to dismantle these barriers. There are many other detailed requirements of eisa. I've simply highlighted the ones that seemed most pertinent for you. So here's how this applies to K12 education in a different way. A decade after Nickleby's enactment, well over half the nation's schools are failing to make the adequate yearly progress toward state standards, and a third of the schools have been identified for improvement due to repeated failure to meet those targets. Unfortunately, few families have taken advantage of the policies purported opportunities through formally designated channels such as school choice and tutoring services. Parents may have simply been under informed about the policies and Nickleby and their potential consequences and opportunities. Nickleby requires districts and schools to notify families about school progress, and some districts may have done this. But parents limited grasp of policy operations may be partly to blame for the policy failure to reach its touted potential. Parents must request supplemental educational services, transfer the children away from chronically failing schools or just show up to restructuring meetings to voice their concerns. Some parents may have an over reliance on the district providing them with this information and the district may have a reason for that to avoid negatively impacting district relationships, finances, and capacity. Contained within EISA is the requirement that the nation's education systems, schools, districts and states must actively engage parents and communities. States and districts receive Title 1 federal funds to support students from low income families. ESA requires states and districts to ensure that students from low income families and students of color are taught by experienced and effective teachers. Additionally, states and districts also must address how they will reduce the overuse of school discipline practices that remove students from the classroom as well as those practices that contribute to the school to prison pipeline. Here are some action steps that you can take in practical ways. Parents need to be aware of and participate in school improvement process, including knowing the particulars of federal educational policy acts. Most parents lack policy knowledge across different schooling environments and there is variance in parent awareness of and their opinions on school experiences and policies. What is necessary for parents to understand are the ways in which policy shapes one's lived experiences. Sometimes it's difficult for parents to see how policies might shape their personal circumstances. Nickleby carries severe consequences for all public school families because under the policy every student in every school throughout the country state sits for tests that align with state content standards and this alone can shape each family school experience. Nicole B. As previously discussed was followed by eisa, which modified or fine tuned many of the requirements of Nicole B. As part of the development plans for implementing EISA processes in the school, parents should ask their school district and state education leaders the following 1. How and when will state and district leaders notify parents about opportunities to help develop state and district title one plans? 2. What steps will states and districts take to identify and address resource discrepancies between schools that serve predominantly affluent communities and schools that serve predominantly students from low income families and students of color? 3. What steps will states and districts take to ensure that schools that serve predominantly students from low income families and students of color have effective teachers and principals? 4. What steps will states and districts take to improve school climate and reduce the overuse of discipline policies such as suspension and expulsion that remove students from the classroom?

5.

What steps will states and districts take to ensure that all students have access to coursework and materials needed for students to graduate from high school ready for college or a career? And 6. How will states and districts identify schools with large achievement gaps between students of color and other students and what support will states and districts provide to help these students excel? Regarding schooling improvement plans required within eisa, parents should ask one how will schools and districts involve parents in the development of school improvement plans? 2. What opportunities will students have to pursue advanced coursework and earn college credits while still in high school? School ESL requires states to involve parents in the development of school and district report cards. Parents should ask their school, district and state education leaders these types of questions in order to Support their involvement 1 How will states and districts work with parents to ensure that the parents and community members understand state, district, and and school report cards? And 2 if schools receive an overall letter grade or other summative rating like 1 to 5 stars on a scale, how much weight will performance of students of color carry in determining that overall grade? Also, if students of color have low test scores or low high school graduation rates, can a school still receive a high rating? Finally, ESL requires states, districts, and schools to monitor and report the academic performance of the historically underserved groups of students based on their racial, ethnic status, socioeconomic status, English language ability, and disability status. States are required to intervene when these categories of students or subgroups groups consistently perform poorly. The state sets the minimum number of students necessary to include one of the student subgroups at the school, district, and state levels. If the subgroup at a school has fewer students than the minimum number set by the state, then that school does not have to report the academic performance or high school graduation rate of that subgroup of students and the state does not have to provide resources targeted specifically to that group. States should engage parents and communities in determining the number of students necessary for a school to report performance of the students subgroups. Parents should ask their school, district, and state educational leaders the following questions about this issue 1 How many African American students must be present for schools to report publicly the performance of African American students and qualify for additional funding if the performance of those students is low? And two how many more African American students could receive support if the state lowered this number? Here are this episode's takeaways in today's hyper polarized politics, where the issue of the day is promoting divisiveness and vitriol. Schools and education are not exempt from this discussion. The 1965 federal government law that was signed by President Lyndon Johnson was the first foray of the government into education. This initial foray began a long period in which the Discussions of title $1 dominated education policy debates. That was followed by the no Child Left behind act or Nickleby of 2001. It became law in 2002 under President George Bush and was viewed as an effort to create more uniform standards for students and schools across the country. And finally, as for this discussion, ESA was signed by President Barack Obama into law in 2015. ESA stands for Every Student Succeeds Act. It's important that you stay engaged and aware of the political maneuverings that are occurring at the federal, state and local level. To do this, you must be informed either through your own readings, school district provided information, and your local parent education advocacy groups. It's necessary for you to understand the ways in which policy shapes your lived experiences. One area worth investigating within the district provided information are the annual report cards for each school in the district, which should also list all the schools that are identified for comprehensive or targeted support and improvement. You can check those report cards to see if your child's school has been identified as needing comprehensive or targeted support. Your child's future is way too important to ignore the political playbook that could have dire ramifications for your child's educational progress. It's your right to hold schools, districts and states accountable for the results they're developing for school improvement plans. States and school districts have significant flexibility in how they meet requirements of eisa, so you have a great opportunity to influence how they use that flexibility to best help your child. You need to be involved in your child's school on an ongoing basis. You need to make sure that they are a part of the process by seeking and finding information pertaining to federal, state and district policies and to make sure that you provide your comments, your voice on the issues that matter to you at your child's school. One question to consider here is whether you're able to engage with your child's school during non work hours. Given the busyness of your life and all that you have to juggle. This may end up being a great way, if available, to easily stay up to date and informed about your issues in your child's school district and his or her school. If this is the type of subject matter and discussion that resonates with you, please subscribe to my podcast on whatever service you're listening to this. Also, I'd love to hear from you, so please leave me a rating, a review or or a comment and share this episode with anyone that you think would find it interesting and valuable. Be sure to tell your friends, family and community about my podcast. I'd really appreciate it if you would recommend my podcast to a friend directly on Twitter and to mention my show in your tweet. Additionally, you can connect with me on instagram and Facebook with the handle kimjfields. Thanks for listening today. I hope you'll come back for more K12 educational discussions with even more exciting topics to untangle. By the way, if you have a burning question about a current situation at your child's school or a specific topic that you'd like me to discuss, shoot me a quick email@kimberationthrougheducation.com to let me know what your question or your situation is. Anyone whose question is selected to be discussed on one podcast episode will receive a $25Amazon gift card. Be sure to stay tuned. On the next episode of my podcast, I'll be discussing another book from the Banned Book list. Until next time, aim to learn something new every day. Love my show. Consider being a regular subscriber. You can subscribe for as little as $3 per month. Just go to Podcast Support. There's no contractual obligation. You can cancel at any time. If you choose to subscribe, I'll give you a special shout out thanking you in an upcoming episode. Remember, that's forward slash Podcast support. To subscribe.