Podcasts about No Child Left Behind Act

In this episode, Brian Karem, Dean Obeidallah, and John T. Bennett discuss the ongoing battle between Donald Trump and the judiciary, the state of the Democratic Party, and the importance of voter engagement. They explore the challenges faced by Democrats in communicating their message and the need for a strong response to Trump's actions. The conversation also touches on upcoming elections and the implications for both parties. In this conversation, the speakers discuss the implications of recent education policy changes, particularly the effects of the No Child Left Behind Act, and how these policies have led to a decline in educational quality. They explore the contradiction between the push for manufacturing jobs and the lack of educational support for the workforce. The discussion also touches on consumer confidence in the economy, the critical role of local news in shaping political opinions, and the controversial actions of the Department of Education, referred to as 'Doge', which some argue represents a new form of the deep state. In this conversation, the speakers discuss the current political landscape in the United States, focusing on the influence of Donald Trump, the role of Congress, and the future of federal institutions. They explore the dynamics of power, the challenges faced by the Democratic Party, and the implications of Trump's spending strategies. The conversation highlights the need for critical thinking and the importance of understanding the forces that shape American politics today.

Go to www.LearningLeader.com for full show notes. The Learning Leader Show with Ryan Hawk This is brought to you by Insight Global. If you need to hire 1 person, hire a team of people, or transform your business through Talent or Technical Services, Insight Global's team of 30,000 people around the world have the hustle and grit to deliver. Go to www.InsightGlobal.com/LearningLeader Rob Kimbel is an owner of Kimbel Mechanical Systems, located in Fayetteville, AR. He joined KMS in 1993, and in 2001, at the age of 26, he became the CEO and grew what was then 3 local plumbers making a couple hundred thousand dollars a year into a national company with more than 750 employees and earning hundreds of millions in revenue per year. Rob is also a partner in multiple start-ups, real estate projects, and real estate funds that specialize in affordable housing across the United States. Rob is also a mentor and advisor to several local businesses and entrepreneurs in NW Arkansas. He has also served on the boards of Generations Bank, NWA Home Builders Association, and Beyond the Game, a non-profit organization serving the impoverished of the Dominican Republic. Notes: Betty Joe Drive… Lived in the hood. $200/month. Rob regularly takes his children to see where they lived. "I want to remind the kids where we came from." They started as a 3-person plumbing company. Rob was working for his dad, making $12-$14 an hour. Now, they do $260m in revenue and have 750 full-time employees. When Rob was 25 years old, his dad asked him to be the CEO. He initially said no. Strategic risk-taking as a cornerstone of growth: Rob navigates the industry challenge of balancing new work with workforce capacity by making bold hiring decisions—demonstrating a greater risk appetite than his father. "We are always hiring" reflects their proactive approach to scaling. Kimbel is good at growing people. They fail, and stick with them to grow. “Profits are the applause for growing our people.” How to be good? Show up, work hard, and finish the job. The bar is so low. The No Child Left Behind Act wasn't great for the trades industry. They made it seem that every person needed to go to college. When every person shouldn't do that. Some should go into the trades. There are high school grads who make $100K/year by their mid-20s at Kimbel. The Kimbel Purpose: Create opportunities to improve lives. Values - TEAM, Humility, Hunger, Grit, Integrity. TEAM- We willingly sacrifice for the good of the team. Row together. Humility - We never consider ourselves above anyone or anything. Take the back seat. Hunger - We choose to continually raise the bar. Never complacent. Integrity - We do the right thing, in all places, at all times. The how matters. Grit - We persevere, no matter the situation. Remember the why. Thank you notes – Each executive member writes at least one thank you note per week. This works as a forcing function for them to look for people doing great work and living by their values. Touch points - Senior leaders (30 people) reach out to 2 people per week to check on them. That's 3,000 touches per year. Free from all, servant to all. Tattoos on Rob's forearms. I have made myself a servant. Free from work, I don't care what society thinks. But I have a responsibility to be a steward. To be a servant to all. Rob works out like a psycho. Super hard. Why? Start with the end in mind. I want to hold Cheri on my shoulders when I'm 65. I want to ski with my kids when I'm 80. I like to compete. I want to win Spartan races. I like doing hard things. It also creates clarity in my mind throughout the day. Karomy messages me that she knows I'm running the stairs when she gets emails from me with lots of ideas. Marriage insights: "It must be intentional. We have fun together. We are genuine friends. We still have to work through stuff." Parenting philosophy shaped by observing other wealthy families: "It's critical that kids do hard work. They shouldn't start in an office. They should be out with the chickens. Be in the mess. Start at the bottom. Start in the ditch." Family-business boundary maintenance: "We get together every other weekend for family game night. We try not to have much business talk." Sold 70% of the business last July. What was the feeling the moment the money was wired? It was surreal. Want to honor Dad with 25 years of GRIT. Excellence defined: "It's continual learning. Wanting to get better. Think, what can I do better?" Creating a truth-telling culture: "Have to be willing to hear it and create a space where the truth is spoken." Life and career wisdom: "A career is not linear just like a marriage isn't. Have patience and live in the suck. Don't quit. There will be seasons of suck. Keep going."  

What does the phrase, “education should be a right, not a privilege” mean to you? If you believe that access to education is not a privilege, but a right as is the human rights law guarantees, then, why are  61 million children not in school, and most of them girls? Educating children no matter where they are is one of the biggest factors toward ending extreme poverty. Education is not a privilege. It is, in fact, a human right. Education as a human right means: the right to education is legally guaranteed for all, without any discrimination; simply, there is an obligation to protect, respect, and fulfill the right to education.  Just to share some background: International human rights law guarantees this right. The Universal Declaration on Human Rights was adopted in 1948, in Article 26: 'everyone has the right to education'. Since then, the right to education has been widely recognized and developed by a number of international normative instruments elaborated by the United Nations, including the UNESCO Convention against Discrimination in Education (1960, CADE), the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966, CESCR), and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989, CRC). The right to education has also been reaffirmed in other treaties covering specific groups (women and girls, persons with disabilities, migrants, refugees, Indigenous Peoples, etc.) and contexts (education during armed conflicts). It has also been incorporated into various regional treaties and enshrined as a right in the vast majority of national constitutions. What I find so interesting is that, there are laws to protect the right to education although, we are often globally failing to fulfill this right, but there are no laws to protect the kind of education offered. In some cases, as in the U.S. there was an attempt in 2001 with the No Child Left Behind Act, signed into federal law in 2002, aimed at improving primary and secondary education which in many cases reduced rich curricula into rote standards where schools were evaluated. This changed slightly in 2015 where states had more leeway in determining their evaluative criteria, but it certainly didn't address the issue of quality. There still remains a huge divide in the US with the quality of education. We know girls suffer more statistically in terms of their access to learning that aids in their potential to both better themselves and their communities. I have always believed that it is far better to have an educated society as it creates good competition and offers the likelihood that individuals will be self-sustaining and will then improve the larger collective. Girls DO MATTER and that became the charge of an incredible organization, Girls Matter as well as a friendship between the three Founders Melissa Deally, Malcolm Trevena and Megin Alverez that brought that dream to reality in 2017. Girls Matter, celebrates girls by increasing their access which includes financial support to high school and post secondary education in developing countries; their vision is to support the education of girls in these countries which will in turn, increase the respect, visibility, and equality for girls in their communities. Their 3 key program areas: Educate girls to complete high school. In select cases, consider educating girls to complete University. Support girls to attend classes all year long, by providing menstrual pads (currently they regularly miss 1 week of classes per month without this support). Through education, reduce the number of teenage marriages & teenage Moms A child born to a literate mother is 50% more likely to survive past the age of five. Educated mothers are more than twice as likely to send their children to school, ensuring that her own girls are educated, creating a positive ripple effect for generations to come A girl with an extra year of education can earn 20% more as an adult. Educating Girls Will Break the Poverty Cycle! As a recipient,  Evelyn Kawola who graduated from fashion & design school shared: “Your support has pushed me to another level, I can see my future is going to be good. Girls Matter has really changed my life, taking me from being illiterate to literate.” Their holistic approach supports the girls and their communities in both Uganda and Kenya:  Their motto is: Breaking the Poverty Cycle 1 Girl, 1 Family, 1 Village at a time! In developing countries, education comes at a cost. Families are caught in a quandary, torn between investing in schooling and affording essential needs. When affording necessities becomes a challenge, daughters are often married off, passing the responsibility of feeding them to a man they don't know or love. In a single year, an estimated 150 million girls are victims of sexual violence. 14 million girls under 18 will be married this year, 38 thousand today; 13 girls in the last 30 secondThe #1 cause of death for girls 15-19 is childbirth. For more information, check out their website: https://girlsmatter.ca/      

pWotD Episode 2629: Richard Simmons Welcome to Popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 608,434 views on Saturday, 13 July 2024 our article of the day is Richard Simmons.Milton Teagle "Richard" Simmons (July 12, 1948 – July 13, 2024) was an American fitness personality and public figure. He was a promoter of weight-loss programs, most prominently through his Sweatin' to the Oldies line of aerobics videos.Simmons began his weight-loss career by opening his gym Slimmons in Beverly Hills, California, catering to the overweight, and he became widely known through exposure on television and through the popularity of his consumer products. He was often parodied and was a frequent guest of late-night television and radio talk shows, such as the Late Show with David Letterman and The Howard Stern Show.He continued to promote health and exercise through a decades-long career, and later broadened his activities to include political activism – such as in 2008 in support of a bill mandating noncompetitive physical education in public schools as a part of the No Child Left Behind Act.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 02:55 UTC on Sunday, 14 July 2024.For the full current version of the article, see Richard Simmons on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Russell.

Education News Headline RoundupOver the past few weeks, there have been significant developments at the State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio (STRS Ohio). On May 15, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost initiated an investigation into the allegations of a hostile takeover attempt of the $90 billion pension fund, which serves thousands of educators, by QED Systematic Solutions.Academic publishing is facing a crisis of credibility as journals close and thousands of retractions are issued in the wake of a glut of fake research papers. A study by Nature found that in 2013 there were just over 1,000 retractions compared to 2022 with 4,000 and then jumping to more than 10k in 2023. More than 8k of the retractions came from an Egyptian company called Hindawi, which is a subsidiary of Wiley; the Hindawi brand will be sunsetted and its properties absorbed into Wiley. Wiley has announced they will close 19 journals because of the rise of fake papers.A report by Spectrum News from May 14th alleges that millions of dollars in Texas taxpayer funds intended for a charter school in Odessa were diverted to support struggling Third Future charter schools network in Colorado, of which Houston Independent School District superintendent Mike Miles is founder and with whom he has recently maintained a consulting relationship.Examining the Effects of High-Stakes Standardized Tests on Learning OutcomesThis episode explores the history and impact of high-stakes standardized testing in the U.S., starting with a brief review of the No Child Left Behind Act and its legacy. Discussions include the educational goals of high-stakes tests (such as accountability and standardization), and the reasons why these tests often fall short of bettering educational outcomes for students, including curriculum narrowing and stress on students and teachers. We also delve into recent research, including a 2024 study by Maroun and Tienken, which highlights the significant influence of socioeconomic factors on test performance.Discussion QuestionsWhat are the consequences of "teaching to the test"?Why does the high-stakes testing system persist despite its criticisms?Can we design a system with standardized tests but without high-stakes consequences? What might this look like?What would it take to move school administrators and policy makers toward the idea that standardized tests should inform academic strategies instead of penalties or other punitive measures?How do we develop a system to hold educators accountable for serving students well that recognizes that a student's academic or standardized test performance is not always the best indicator of that student's learning? Would peer/student reviews play a part in this system?Sources & Resources:Ohio AG investigating alleged 'hostile takeover' inside teacher's pension fundMarch Board News | STRS OhioApril Board News | STRS OhioFebruary Board News | STRS Ohio EmployerAnswering viewer questions about Ohio's retired teachers' pension fund chaosHouston teachers union calls for Mike Miles' resignation after explosive reportHISD students plan walkout as investigation launches into state-appointed superintendent Mike MilesHISD's Mike Miles responds to 'spurious' investigation into charter school networkHISD superintendent Mike Miles accused of mishandling state education funds | CW39 HoustonHouston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles responds to allegations he diverted Texas school funds to his Colorado schoolsReport about charter schools founded by Houston ISD superintendent Mike Miles prompts calls for investigationHISD Superintendent Mike Miles responds to report he funneled TX taxpayer money to Colorado | TEA commissioner, Third Future Schools also respondDisappearing Dollars: Texas public schools missing millionsFlood of Fake Science Forces Multiple Journal Closures - WSJWiley shuts 19 scholarly journals amid AI paper mill problem • The RegisterWiley to shutter 19 journalsEvolving our portfolio in response to integrity challenges | Hindawi‘The situation has become appalling': fake scientific papers push research credibility to crisis pointSurge In Academic Retractions Should Put U.S. Scholars On NoticeScience's fake-paper problem: high-profile effort will tackle paper millsThe Pernicious Predictability of State-Mandated Tests of Academic Achievement in the United StatesStandardized Testing is Still Failing Students | NEAResearch Shows What State Standardized Tests Actually MeasureHistory of Standardized Tests - ProCon.org18 years ago, Mike Pence voted against No Child Left Behind. So did Bernie Sanders. Their reasons weren't the same. - The Washington PostEpisode 51 - Left Behind - 16:1 - An Education PodcastObama Calls for Major Change in Education Law - The New York TimesHistory of Standardized Testing in the United States | NEAPearson, ETS, Houghton Mifflin, and McGraw-Hill Lobby Big and Profit Bigger from School Tests | PR WatchHistory of Memorial Day | National Memorial Day Concert | PBS

Working together across party lines is anathema to much of political Washington, but Margaret Spellings says doing so is the only way to create solutions that last.  A nationally recognized leader in public policy, Spellings serves as President and CEO of the Bipartisan Policy Center. Previously, Spellings was President and CEO of Texas 2036, president of University of North Carolina System and president of the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas after she served as U.S. Secretary of Education. As secretary, she led the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act, a bipartisan initiative to provide greater accountability for the education of 50 million U.S. public school students. She also launched the Commission on the Future of Higher Education, a plan to address challenges of access, affordability, quality and accountability in our nation's colleges and universities. Before serving as secretary, Spellings was a White House domestic policy advisor, overseeing the agenda on education, transportation, health, justice, housing and labor.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For most students, standardized testing means disrupted schedules, increased anxiety, and the pressure to perform. For a student with dyslexia or a neurodivergent brain, that experience is often amplified. In this episode, I expand on why these standardized tests exist and how to support your child through the process. Your child's standardized test score tells you where they fall on a bell curve in relation to the other students in their grade. Because people with dyslexia process information differently, standardized tests aren't an effective way to assess their development or comprehension. If your state doesn't offer testing opt-outs, what can you do to help your child feel as calm and confident as possible? Join me as I explore seven ways to approach standardized testing and highlight important things to keep in mind if your child's scores remain low. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or on your favorite podcast platform. Topics Covered: A brief history of the No Child Left Behind Act and Every Student Succeeds Act How to determine if your state has a testing opt-out option Why it could benefit your child to take a standardized test, even if they can opt-out What to know about your child's testing accommodations Tools and practices to increase focus and calm the nervous system before a test Resources Mentioned: Good Books List on the Literacy Untangled website Dyslexia Advocate! Second Edition by Kelli Sandman-Hurley Sa Ta Na Ma link on YouTube Connect: Visit my website Sign up for my newsletter Follow me on Instagram Join me on Facebook Download my FREE guide: Dyslexia Defined

Guests featured in this episode:Ronald Daniels, the President of Johns Hopkins University, as well as a board member of the Central European University. His numerous accomplishments include the Order of Canada awarded to him in 2016 and his election as a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. During his tenure as President, Johns Hopkins University has consistently ranked at the top for its interdisciplinary research and innovation, enhanced student access, as well as community engagement. It thus serves as a true model for a research university in the 21st century.Last year, Ron Daniels published an agenda-setting book, "What Universities Owe Democracy." It makes a compelling and a passionate case for universities to be engaged in preserving and strengthening democratic achievements that are under threat, both in the U.S. and elsewhere.  Glossary:What is the Pell Grant program?(11:34 or p.4 in the transcript)The Pell Grant is a form of need-based federal financial aid awarded by the U.S. Department of Education to help eligible low-income students pay for college costs, including tuition, fees, room and board, and other educational expenses. The Pell Grant is the largest grant program offered by the Department of Education to undergraduate students. Created in 1972, the federal Pell Grant program has been awarding grants to students since the 1973-1974 school year. It was named after Sen. Claiborne Pell of Rhode Island, the chief sponsor of the program. To be eligible, students must demonstrate exceptional financial need, be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen and have not yet received a bachelor's, graduate or professional degree. While graduate students are not typically eligible for Pell Grant aid, in some cases students seeking a post-baccalaureate teacher certification may be eligible. The Pell Grant generally does not need to be repaid, but there are some exceptions, such as in case of withdrawing from courses or changing enrollment status after a Pell Grant award has been disbursed. Students may lose Pell Grant eligibility entirely if they withdraw from courses, do not maintain enrollment status or fail to continue making academic progress, which can include GPA requirements set by individual institutions. source What is the K-12 education?(14:43 or p.4 in the transcript)The K-12 system stands for ‘from kindergarten to 12th grade'. This equates roughly to a school starting age of around five through to Grade 12 at around the age of 18. The system is broken down into three stages: elementary school (Grades K–5), middle school (Grades 6–8) and high school (Grades 9–12). In the United States, education is primarily the responsibility of state and local government. Every state has its own department of education and laws regarding finance, the hiring of school personnel, student attendance and curriculum. States also determine the number of years of compulsory education – in some states, education is only compulsory until the age of 16. In December 2015, President Obama signed the Every Student Succeeds Act, which pledged to offer the same standard of education to every child in the US “regardless of race, income, background, the zip code, or where they live”. The act replaced the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002 and, among other things, is an attempt to bring back some element of control with the recommendation for having fewer tests. source

Host: Kevin Smith Dives into the weekly news most impactful to the HeartlandHEADLINESFarm Bill 2023 NPR - https://www.npr.org/2023/02/02/1151727273/congress-gears-up-for-another-farm-bill-heres-whats-on-the-menuWisconsin Democrat fights the Uphill battle for Seniors getting ripped offThe Guardian - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/feb/01/mark-pacon-medicare-bill-elderly?CMP=Share_iOSApp_OtherLIGHTNING ROUNDOklahomaOklahoma's Attorney General Gentner Drummond has pledged to improve his office's relationship with tribal nations in Oklahoma. NPR - https://www.kosu.org/local-news/2023-02-01/can-oklahomas-new-attorney-general-reset-the-states-relationship-with-its-tribal-nationsOklahoma lawmakers have introduced more than 90 election and voting bills ahead of the upcoming legislative session. Oklahoma City Free Press - https://freepressokc.com/oklahoma-lawmakers-seek-to-change-elections-ballot-initiatives/IdahoIdaho state Rep. Ron Mendive thinks his state's school kids should have to sweat for their pizza squares and chicken nuggets. The Daily Beast - https://www.thedailybeast.com/idaho-lawmaker-wants-children-to-work-for-those-free-lunchesColoradoColoradans who work public-sector jobs in government, school districts, health care and the court system could receive some labor protections under a change to state law proposed by lawmakers this week.The Denver Post - https://www.denverpost.com/2023/02/01/colorado-public-workers-union-labor-protections-bill/Violation-plagued oil and gas operator, was ordered by state regulators Wednesday to promptly pay $1.9 million in fines and clean up 78 production sites or lose its right to do business in Colorado. The Colorado Sun - https://coloradosun.com/2023/02/02/kpk-cleanup-orphan-wells-colorado/KansasRepublican legislators in Kansas are focusing on helping conservative parents remove their children from public schools. NBC - https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/school-choice-culture-war-focus-kansas-lawmakers-rcna68353Tennessee  Tennessee legislature would allow more people to have guns on school campuses. ABC - https://www.wate.com/news/tennessee/tennessee-bill-could-allow-more-guns-on-school-campuses/TexasThousands of Texans are without power The Dallas Morning News - https://www.dallasnews.com/news/weather/2023/02/02/winter-ice-storm-leaves-hundreds-of-thousands-of-texans-without-power/NebraskaThe Nebraska Legislature seeks Abortion Ban, testimony against delays vote.AP - https://apnews.com/article/abortion-politics-nebraska-omaha-25e7a9968c9dbc10e93dacf7122f2f41MissouriBlack Democrats in the Missouri Senate hold chamber for three hours condemning a Republican-sponsored bill targeting diversity training and race curriculum. Missouri Independent - https://missouriindependent.com/2023/02/01/black-senators-condemn-anti-critical-race-theory-bill/A Republican legislator, State Sen. Jill Carter, wants to find a way for some Missouri school districts to opt out the state's accreditation program. Missouri Independent - https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/lawmaker-proposes-local-control-plan-to-opt-missouri-districts-out-of-state-standards/

Host: Kevin Smith Dives into the weekly news most impactful to the HeartlandHEADLINESFarm Bill 2023 NPR - https://www.npr.org/2023/02/02/1151727273/congress-gears-up-for-another-farm-bill-heres-whats-on-the-menuWisconsin Democrat fights the Uphill battle for Seniors getting ripped offThe Guardian - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/feb/01/mark-pacon-medicare-bill-elderly?CMP=Share_iOSApp_OtherLIGHTNING ROUNDOklahomaOklahoma's Attorney General Gentner Drummond has pledged to improve his office's relationship with tribal nations in Oklahoma. NPR - https://www.kosu.org/local-news/2023-02-01/can-oklahomas-new-attorney-general-reset-the-states-relationship-with-its-tribal-nationsOklahoma lawmakers have introduced more than 90 election and voting bills ahead of the upcoming legislative session. Oklahoma City Free Press - https://freepressokc.com/oklahoma-lawmakers-seek-to-change-elections-ballot-initiatives/IdahoIdaho state Rep. Ron Mendive thinks his state's school kids should have to sweat for their pizza squares and chicken nuggets. The Daily Beast - https://www.thedailybeast.com/idaho-lawmaker-wants-children-to-work-for-those-free-lunchesColoradoColoradans who work public-sector jobs in government, school districts, health care and the court system could receive some labor protections under a change to state law proposed by lawmakers this week.The Denver Post - https://www.denverpost.com/2023/02/01/colorado-public-workers-union-labor-protections-bill/Violation-plagued oil and gas operator, was ordered by state regulators Wednesday to promptly pay $1.9 million in fines and clean up 78 production sites or lose its right to do business in Colorado. The Colorado Sun - https://coloradosun.com/2023/02/02/kpk-cleanup-orphan-wells-colorado/KansasRepublican legislators in Kansas are focusing on helping conservative parents remove their children from public schools. NBC - https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/school-choice-culture-war-focus-kansas-lawmakers-rcna68353Tennessee  Tennessee legislature would allow more people to have guns on school campuses. ABC - https://www.wate.com/news/tennessee/tennessee-bill-could-allow-more-guns-on-school-campuses/TexasThousands of Texans are without power The Dallas Morning News - https://www.dallasnews.com/news/weather/2023/02/02/winter-ice-storm-leaves-hundreds-of-thousands-of-texans-without-power/NebraskaThe Nebraska Legislature seeks Abortion Ban, testimony against delays vote.AP - https://apnews.com/article/abortion-politics-nebraska-omaha-25e7a9968c9dbc10e93dacf7122f2f41MissouriBlack Democrats in the Missouri Senate hold chamber for three hours condemning a Republican-sponsored bill targeting diversity training and race curriculum. Missouri Independent - https://missouriindependent.com/2023/02/01/black-senators-condemn-anti-critical-race-theory-bill/A Republican legislator, State Sen. Jill Carter, wants to find a way for some Missouri school districts to opt out the state's accreditation program. Missouri Independent - https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/lawmaker-proposes-local-control-plan-to-opt-missouri-districts-out-of-state-standards/

Imagine that you are hiring a new English teacher. None of the people who apply have any of the qualifications to teach English. No teaching degree. No English degree. No experience in the classroom. Would you hire any of them? Probably not. Now here is the irony. Many of the people making curricular and legislative decisions about education don't have the qualifications to be hired within education. This is a problem. In this episode, we hear how standardization, high-stakes testing, and policy decisions made by non-educators may be contributing to teachers' decisions to leave education. Music:  Theme Song By Julian Saporiti  “So Stark (You're a Skyscraper” by Matt LeGroulx is licensed under a CC BY-NC-SA license. “Cat and Mouse” by Scott Holmes Music is licensed under a CC  BY license. “Space (Outro)” by Andy Cohen is licensed under a CC  BY license.   “Home Fire” by Nul Tiel Records is licensed under a CC BY-NC-SA license. “Press Conference” by Blanket Music is licensed under a CC BY-NC license. “Things Change” by HoliznaCC0 is in the Public Domain.  “Living Life” by Scott Holmes Music is licensed under a CC BY-NC license. “Boulevard St Germain” by Jahzzar is licensed under a CC BY-SA license.  “Hungaria” by Latche Swing is licensed under a CC BY-NC-SA license. “Business Getaway ” by Scott Holmes Music is licensed under a CC  BY license. Transcript: I used to listen to the Dixie Chicks's song “Wide Open Spaces” before wrestling matches because I would get too wound up. It helped me slow down my breathing and relax.  In junior high and high school, I was fixated on winning and losing. I'd get a pit in my stomach, psyche myself up and out, all to my detriment. I was terrified of failing, of being a disappointment or an embarrassment.  Then I went to college. I walked-on to the University of Wyoming's wrestling team. During my meeting with Steve Suder, the head coach, he told me, “You know, you'll be walking into a room with a bunch of state champs. Are you worried about that?” I told him, “No, I'm not” because those were the guys  that I wanted to be wrestling against. I was a two-time state placer and I had nothing to lose. Suder said, “Good,” and then told me that he never won state either, but he ended up being an All-American for the University of Wyoming, so there was hope for me.  During our conversation, in between adjusting this chewed up yellow cushion he used as a back support, he told me that I was like the pretty girl's funny friend at a party. I'm not someone he noticed right off the bat, but once he got to know me, he was happy to have me around. He meant this in the best way possible, and I didn't mind.  I made the team, worked my butt off, won some matches, and lost more than I won. And I hate losing, but it felt different. I was excited to be wrestling, not nervous. Suder made it clear that his expectations were low, but he was happy to have me. I focused on gaining experience and the process and growing as a wrestler and a person. And I got to wrestle a guy named Brent Metcalf, who is the only person I wrestled that had a documentary made about him. When someone asked Metcalf why he didn't celebrate wins, he said, “I don't want to give my opponent the satisfaction of watching me celebrate, which would make it look like a big deal that I beat him.” This dude is a monster.  It was an extraordinarily humbling match. I had no control of my own body - his fingers were in my mouth at one point, but I learned what it was like to wrestle the best. It was eye-opening.  My tenure as a collegiate wrestler only lasted that year,but I remained in contact with Coach Suder off and on until his passing in 2019. And I had changed. My priorities shifted from valuing product to process.    When I became an assistant high school wrestling coach, the head coach had also wrestled for Coach Suder, and so we continued his tradition of emphasizing process. And what I noticed is that the wrestlers felt less pressure. They only tried being better today than they were yesterday. And when they have that mindset, success, though not guaranteed, is more likely. They are wrestling to compete and to score points. And even if they don't have success, they do the best they can do at that moment, and that's always worth being proud of.  In education, we focus on the product, on assessment. There is an obsession with passing or failing and we seem to have forgotten the value of process, which is where many teachers live. So today, we are going to look at how a structure of education that values standardized assessments could be contributing to teachers deciding to leave the profession, and because some of the frustrations with standardized assessment is a federal issue, which is too much to address here, we'll explore a possible solution to the high stakes assessment issue in Wyoming, which would hopefully keep teachers in education.  This is Those Who Can't Teach Anymore, a 7-part podcast series exploring why teachers are leaving education and what can be done to stop the exodus. I'm Charles Fournier. Here is part 5: “Education has a Tourist Problem” Mark Perkins: I do think that for a lot of teachers who are leaving, and this is speculative, but I think it's reasonable to assume that if you alleviated some of the assessment requirements within their schools, their satisfaction would increase. I don't think that that's a jump.  This is Mark Perkins, he is an Assistant Professor of Education Research Methods at the University of Wyoming and he is talking about the survey results he gathered about teacher attrition in Wyoming. So many teachers, both teachers leaving and teachers staying, reported that they were not happy with assessments. As we've heard from teachers that left teaching, there wasn't one thing that pushed them out of teaching. It was the layering of factors. And if we want to keep more teachers from leaving, it would be worth trying to address some of the most consistent factors. Aside from overall well-being and feeling supported, assessment is one the most consistent teacher frustrations. Now before we get into what specifically teachers don't like about assessment, I think it's important to think about why education currently has assessments, and this goes back to what we talked about last episode: the purpose of education and needing to be able to measure success for whatever that purpose is. Simply put, we need to reflect on what we want kids to know and how we can measure what they know. Mark explains. Mark Perkins: And so what does school success really look like? That sounds like an interesting, easy question. It's like, Well, kids know how to do math. Well, okay. What does that look like? Well, they can add, subtract, divide. All right. So what? When you start drilling into the actual requirements to exist and inhabit the world, the factors become much more latent than what we measure. But we fixated ourselves purely on content. During our conversation, Mark explained that there are a ton of other things that we want for students: self-awareness, identity development, civic consciousness, the ability to have some gumption and as Mark phrased it, drag a horse through the mud. But none of those qualities are easy to measure, which means it's more difficult to measure a teacher's overall effectiveness. This brings us back to the focus on content.  Mark Perkins: But all of the focus has been on reading math, science and somewhat government. How does a teacher who navigates let's call it the multivariate universe of being an educator. How do you evaluate teaching for the holistic aspects of the job? While we don't?  It would be difficult to assess students and teachers in the Multivariate Universe of education, as Mark puts it, so we assess a few content areas, and only a few things in those content areas. Many mission statements want to acknowledge the whole student, but we only assess a fraction of the student.  For example, I have a grant application unit for my sophomores. They do research and write a grant to receive hypothetical funding that they can use to address a real problem within our community. I don't limit students on what kinds of problems they want to address, so students have looked at drug use or homelessness or access to sports or social justice issues.  When students submit their grant applications, we go through a selection process. Students read each other's grants anonymously and identify ones that meet all of the grant requirements and would, in their minds, best serve our community. By the end of the process, all of my classes vote on the one grant that should receive the hypothetical funding. Every year I've done this, the grants that make the final vote, the ones that all of my students have pushed forward, are philanthropic and genuinely kind. And I tell my students this, usually as I tear up, that this project gives me hope for the future because through their research, writing, discussions, and voting, they prove that they are empathetic humans. I learn much more about what my students can do through this project than any standardized assessment that I've been required to administer. And this is a frustration echoed by teacher after teacher. If the thing that is used to reflect a district's success is a bubble-sheet test, that can feel pretty disheartening. Because from the teachers' perspective, the results of those tests, the results that are reported in the paper and raise community questions like, “What are they even teaching kids in school?” those tests lack validity. They're not the best way to measure whether the kids are alright, and Mark has questions about how well these tests show what kids know and how well they predict the future success of students, which is often how standardized tests are used. Several teachers pointed to the frustration that rather than getting students ready for life beyond high school or to be a life-long learner, they are forced to think that the be-all-end-all was the ACT or SAT.  So engaging and authentic instruction gets replaced with teaching to a test. From Mark's research and work in assessment, he sees that those assessments might not be worth the time we are putting towards them. Mark Perkins: And I have a suspicion that the predictive validity of these tests is not that good. And my suspicion comes from a very large body of literature that has looked at ACT/SAT versus high school grade point average and college level English math and general college grade point average. And yet, we invest an amount of time, pressure and money on these measures. What this means is that a grade point average, though imperfect in its own right, is a better predictor of future student success, whether they are college or career bound, than a standardized assessment. So what a teacher measures in their classroom is a better indicator of future success than what a standardized assessment shows.  And if this isn't enough, the amount students are tested is tremendous. This saps their energy and the energy of teachers who have to say, “I know this is the 573rd test, but you've got this.”  Mark Perkins: We need to simplify and make assessment parsimonious. We do need to assess, but we certainly only need to take our temperature one time and evening, maybe two, when we have a cold because we know that it's going to say the same number every time. Measuring is not teaching. I want to reiterate what Mark just said - measuring is not teaching. I also want to clarify something about assessment. Teachers use informal assessments all of the time. And these are different than the high-stakes standardized assessments.  Good teaching makes use of valid and authentic assessments often. When I was writing this episode, I got talking with my wife, Jennie,  about assessment, because this is what you do when you marry another teacher. When she taught Advanced Biology, she created these elaborate group tests that students would get excited about. She used assessment as a learning tool. Her thought is that you don't know what you know until you need to apply your knowledge.  This is why I like the writing process because it's an act of creating and synthesizing. It's a great form of learning.  So the right assessment can be an informative learning tool, but the high stakes, fill-in-the-bubble, standardized assessments that teachers are frustrated with are not that. Mark explains that in order for those standardized assessments to be more valid, there should be some adjustments.  Mark Perkins: I think that we could more wisely use measurement, and education. I think one of the first problems with high stakes testing, is the fact that the majority of these tests have no impact on students. Now. You don't have to be draconian about it .But we make intelligent decisions based off of test scores. And we provide students with logical and rational incentives.  From the teacher's perspective, it's hard to convince students that the tests matter because students don't see how they are relevant to their lives. I try to give students some perspective before tests, like “No it doesn't impact your grade, but  if you go through and randomly click answers to finish early, the people who care about these tests will think you're not learning anything, and then they will change curriculum and make you guys only learn from a textbook. Do you want that?” They usually shake their heads no, but that doesn't mean they care any more about the test. Many teachers struggle to care about the tests as well. They don't like the kind of standardization the tests force that does not allow for freedom in the classroom. Shane Atkinson, who we heard from in the first episode, left teaching after 13 years, and part of his decision to leave had to do with a lack of autonomy, some of which is tied to standardization. He pointed out that there are some districts that are so standardized, their days are mapped out in a binder. Shane Atkinson: This is what you do, then you do this, here's the question you should ask, have them fill out this worksheet. Day two… I think that's been done under the guise of equity. You don't want a kid in this classroom at this school to get a much different or better education than a teacher in the classroom next door. And I get that. So the idea is, well, to keep it equitable, they should be doing the same thing in both of those classrooms during that period of their US History class. Again, you're making decisions based on a minority and applying them to everybody, even if you're doing good work. That does everybody a disservice.  The hope is that every kid will receive the same quality of education, so teachers are expected to stick to a curriculum, and in some instances, stick to a script. Much of the push towards national standardization came from the George W Bush Administration's, 2001, No Child Left Behind Act. Jaye Wacker, whose voice we heard in the first episode and who quit teaching after 31 years, felt like the No Child Left Behind Act did a lot to undermine public trust in education. And it did it through standards.  Jaye Wacker: No Child Left Behind set impossible targets. And basically year after year after year, it undermined public confidence in education. So then we needed the standards we needed to prove that we're doing something and yeah, I get it and I agree with it. You know, let's prove what we're doing. But this homogenization that we've talked about _____ High School in their curriculum, the most diverse curriculum in the state, and their kids are outperforming all these homogenized curriculums.  Part of the impossible targets from the No Child Left Behind Act included a 100% proficiency rate for all students by 2014 - this meant that all students would be able to perform at grade level by 2014. This sounds nice, it is great rhetoric because of course no one wants to leave any kids behind, but this goal disregards so many variables. Many students are below grade level because of severe physical and or learning disabilities, and some will never make it to grade level. This doesn't mean an effort to get all students to proficient is a bad goal, it's a great goal, but not reaching this goal made it look like schools were failing. But the Act made it so schools were destined to fail. Though this Act has since been replaced, along with the unrealistic proficiency rates, its negative impact on the view of education is still present. Wacker also pointed to the reality that homogenized education doesn't necessarily produce the best results. This is a pretty common view of standards. A teacher who wanted to remain anonymous said. "On a societal level, I think standards are the worst thing about education, and that's a wide-open race... In my opinion, standards have lead to a homogenization that is stunting our growth, and solve problems that don't exist. I don't want education to be the same everywhere; I want to be a local restaurant, not a McDonald's." For a more scientific point of view, my wife, Jennie, who left teaching after 7 years compares standardization to evolution. Jennica Fournier: So I think that standards homogenize things. So I don't know if your high school teacher was too afraid to teach you about evolution. But in general, we evolve best as a species if we have a really diverse gene pool. Basically if our education system was a gene pool, we'd be fucked.   So from an evolutionary perspective, species that are standardized or homogenous, don't survive adversity very well. Diversity is necessary for survival, and this includes diversity of curriculum. Jennie explained that we might struggle as a country to solve problems when everyone has been exposed to the same standardized curriculums. Jennie points out that there would be benefits to having students prioritize local issues. Jennica Fournier: So essentially we need kids to have a set of skills that match their environment at a local level in order to solve problems at their local level versus everyone in the US only knowing how to solve a generic set of problems. So many teachers see standards as an impossible bar to be reached that stifles their ability to be creative in their classrooms. Another part to the frustration with standardization and standardized assessments comes from the preparation required to take them and the pressure associated with the results. This is preparation and pressure that Mark, who discussed assessment earlier in this episode, says might be unnecessary. Molly Waterworth, who we heard from in a previous episode and who left teaching after 8 years, explains how frustrating that process of preparation was.  Molly Waterworth: ACT/SAT prep, hated that. Totally hated it. And I never really figured out a way to do it super meaningfully. It just felt really meaningless because I just couldn't connect it to anything relevant. I just have to say to the kids, “I'm doing this so that you know the format of the test, and that's why we're doing this.” It's not fun. There's no way to have a discussion about whether or not somebody answered the correct question on ACT/SAT practice. My biggest motivator and the thing that brought me the most joy in teaching English was discussion and parsing through complexity and finding our collective way through something big and doing ACT/SAT prep just didn't ring that bell. Having to teach towards a test that doesn't seem valuable, or to work towards standards for the sake of standards can leave teachers feeling powerless. I don't know that anyone likes to feel powerless, to feel like their hands are tied behind their backs. Several teachers decided to leave education for jobs that gave them more autonomy, where they didn't feel like they were jumping through hoops.   I personally have never been a fan of doing things just because. If I am required to give a test, I want to know that it matters. I do the same for my students, I want all of their work to feel relevant beyond the classroom. Most teachers are the same. They want to know that what they are doing is relevant, and many don't feel like the layers of standardized tests are relevant.Students, like most other humans, want to feel like what they do matters.  At least that's what Anjel Garcia wanted from her education.  Anjel Garcia: Kids just don't have any respect or like reason to care about school, and I think that connects back to they don't know what they are doing there.  Anjel took my college-level English class and graduated last year. She is a phenomenal artist - I have one of her paintings hanging in my classroom - and she is going to college for art. For Anjel, she thinks school should help students find a direction for their lives.  Anjel Garcia: I think it's to find a passion and to find something that you want to pursue in life. But we're at the point where you're only doing it so that you can cram and learn that information, and then forget it the day after the test. They're not actually doing it in a way that's teaching kids how to find interests. Which is something that many teachers enjoy. Engaging students in the joy of learning to find their interests is such a gratifying part of the job. And helping students identify interests means teachers would be able to individualize education for students. As we heard last episode, this is what many students want in their education - individualization. So a shift in the mission and a deprioritization of standardized assessment could create a structure that ends up valuing individualization. If we don't make this shift, we will continue with a structure that devalues individualization and does not promote the joy of learning. This is what that feels like to Anjel. Anjel Garcia: It's kind of extreme…with the prison system, they treat everyone the same way. They treat them like animals. They aren't treated in a way that rehabilitates them to be better people or to be prepared in the world, and I think that sort of connects to school.  Students shouldn't feel like this, and teachers often feel powerless when it comes to assessment. To ease student pushback they rely on the district, state, or national mandate. The “Sorry guys, we have to do this.” So a shift to prioritizing the joy of learning will be a positive shift not only for keeping teachers but for making education something that students find joy and value in.  Still, despite teacher frustrations and the possible lack of validity of standardization and standardized tests, they are present because there has been a historic problem with equity in education in the United States. This is why Marguerite Herman sees value in standardization. Marguerite has a master's degree in education, has some experience teaching, and served two terms as a School Board Trustee. And she agrees that there are some downsides to the standards, but she was pretty adamant that they are necessary.  Marguerite Herman: To standardize things, you lose a lot, but you also have these assurances that again… I use the term bean counter. I don't want to be dismissive of that responsibility - bean counters have to answer themselves to others. I've known Marguerite since I was in Kindergarden - she used to help with religious ed when I was little, and I went to high school with her kids. When she was on the school board, I could always count on her to attend events I put on for my students - author visits or student projects. Marguerite is involved and someone I knew would be well-informed and honest with me about her role on the School Board and about education policy.  When I told her that teachers are frustrated with standardization and assessments, she acknowledged teacher frustration but defended assessments because they offer quality assurance and a way to make educational funding decisions, even if the standardized assessments are imperfect.   Marguerite Herman: You know, with funding comes accountability. And to some extent, people want a number, especially legislators who are not educators. They want to know, what's your competence here, what's whatever you're proficient in. Anytime you index a number, there's just a lot of data that's lost because you're reducing, you're obscuring, a lot of nuance. You don't get any nuance, frankly. It's imperfect, but you need something, and I'm not challenging that.  Marguerite explains that something is needed to ensure that all students are benefiting from their public education. And her job as a Trustee on the School Board was to ensure that.  Marguerite Herman: Well, once again, the statute kind of lays it out. At the school board, we are elected as trustees, and let me just dwell a moment on the word trustee, which is that you have undivided loyalty to a beneficiary. That word was picked. It's not like a delegate and something like a representative. You don't represent a sub constituency. You represent every child in this district - they are the beneficiaries. So everything you do, you should have in your mind, “I am using all the possessions, the assets of our district, to provide for the educational benefit of every child.”  I want to pause on this definition for a moment because there has been some divisiveness on school boards across the country. Marguerite's definition is succinct -  Trustees serve their beneficiaries, so Board Members serve kids. This means the tribalism that has moved into school boards across the country should get left at the door. School boards serve students and no one else. And when I say students, I mean all students across the religious, racial, sexual, gendered, intellectual, and political spectrums. This is no small feat to serve such a diverse spectrum of students, but that should be the goal despite what interest groups think or who is in the capital. And this is why Marguerite is adamant that even if our current system is imperfect, we need something. I agree, we need something, but I don't think what we have currently is that something. And Marguerite explains that the data  that the legislators  want don't come from what a teacher sees.  Marguerite Herman: The feds want their numbers, and the legislature wants its numbers. “This is the teacher's honest opinion of the learning that went on” and said, “Yeah, that's fine. But you know, show me the test score, show me the performance I want to see”. And so, you know, we dance to a lot of different bean counters.  So the people that want to track progress, as Mark pointed out earlier in this episode and Marguerite reiterates here, don't necessarily want to hear what a teacher has to say about a student's success - even though a teacher is an expert and is highly aware of their students' capabilities. And even though, as we heard Mark explain earlier, a student's gpa, made up of teacher grades, is often a better indicator of a student's future success than the results of a standardized assessment. But teachers aren't trusted. The feds, the legislature, whoever it is that is running quality assurance wants an easily read progress report that covers a few content areas.  Remember the idealism about the purpose of education from last episode - it often fizzles at the feet of a standardized structure that takes the word of a test over that of a teacher, the human who actually knows the kid. Idealism and authentic learning and genuine human growth are harder to measure than the few content areas that can be measured on a bubble sheet. Still,  I know Marguerite is right - the assessments and the standards are a way to document, in an easily measurable way, that an effort is being made to assure an equitable education for all. That does not mean the way we assess nor the assessments themselves are valid, good for kids, or good for teachers. So let's change them! Let's make our purpose of education, our assessments, our measurements good for kids and good for teachers! Right? It should be easy! We know that kids want to feel like what they do matters, that they want curriculums that are more individualized. Right? So we need to talk with someone who understands how these things work, and how changes could be made to the current system. Here's Chris Rothfuss. Chris has been a college professor, he has run a college summer program for high school students, and he is the father of kids in the public school system. He is also the Senate Minority Floor Leader in the Wyoming State Senate and a member of the Joint Education Committee. Chris was one of two Wyoming legislators to get back to me, and the only one who agreed to meet with me.  Chris Rothfuss: The intent of that Accountability Act, as it ended up looking, was to figure out which districts and specifically which schools were struggling, and then provide them with the resources, a system of supports, to build them up and make them better.  The Wyoming Accountability in Education Act was adopted in 2013. It took over federal accountability requirements established by the No Child Left Behind Act and preceded by the Every Student Succeeds Act or ESSA. ESSA requires states to give annual statewide tests in reading/language arts and math to every student in third through eighth grade and once when they are in high school, and in science at least once in each of grades 3-5, 6-9, and 10-12. So the Wyoming Accountability Act, through the Legislature and Wyoming Department of Education, interprets federal requirements and sets goals for student and school achievement. So what assessments are used, how students are assessed, and how many assessments are given beyond the federal requirement is dictated by the state. And Chris acknowledges that there might be an issue with assessments.  Chris Rothfuss: We may be overtesting. If there were a way that we could do sampled testing if we could be a little more thoughtful about how we're doing it, if we're not using it as a direct educational instrument, then we don't need every student tested, we really just need a statistical representative sample.  But at this point, testing for a statistical representative sample is not how assessments are being used. Federally we have to test every student in most grades at least once a year, but many students are tested much more than this. Even so, I like the idea of shifting to a statistical representation especially if it means less tests. Statistical representative sample testing is already used at the federal level by the National Center for Educational Statistics - an entity of the US Department of Education. The National Assessment of Educational Progress or NAEP tests, also known as the Nation's Report Card, are given every two years to randomly selected fourth and eighth graders to test English and Math. So we already have a model for using these statistical representative sample tests, and it might be worth seriously considering how to do this - to quit overtesting. Chris calls the amount of tests part of the unintended consequences of standardization.  Chris Rothfuss: So we in Wyoming adopted some world class standards. The unintended consequence, though, as you set that as your mission, teach all of these students all of these standards, is that you've only got so much time in a day. And you've got more standards than you're capable of teaching in a school year. So when that becomes your priority, and you know, you're going to be tested on your knowledge of those standards, and you know, you're expected to improve your knowledge of those standards. As you're thinking through our well, what are we going to do with each of our days, you don't think head to the mountains? I think about heading to the mountains on a daily basis, but that doesn't mean we get to go to them. These unintended consequences of standards and assessments are a reality. The individualization of instruction and the exploration that teachers talked about last episode are often a casualty of an overwhelming amount of standards that must be covered. But a move towards individualization, and less emphasis on standardized assessments is possible. But it will require a legislature that is informed and understands what adjustments should be made in education. Chris Rothfuss: I don't think there's necessarily a misconception that the folks that are making decisions about education, don't understand education. That's regrettably probably accurate. Chris points out that many of the people with the power to make policy decisions about education think they are qualified to make decisions about education because they once went through the education system. Many of these people want to run education like a business, like a factory. They use words like stakeholders and incentivize, and they want annual progress reports. These are people that don't necessarily acknowledge or make decisions about education based on best practices. Chris Rothfuss: I spent the first I don't know how many years of my time in the legislature trying to ensure that our Wyoming education model did not utilize that pay for teacher performance. Because the literature makes it very clear that that is the wrong approach. Best Practices make it very clear that that's the wrong approach. But policymakers so often choose that approach because they don't take the time to really understand why it's an awful approach.  Folks like legislators disregarding best practice or research-based practice is a foundational aspect of why teachers are leaving education. Teachers are experts in their field, but education has a tourist problem. You know, those people who are close enough to education to feel like they are a part of the system, but the actual educators, the educational locals if you will, don't see it the same way.  And  teachers are tired of being dismissed or treated like they aren't experts. The educational tourists assume that their time as students makes them an expert in education - policy is put into motion by folks who aren't informed enough about education to be making decisions.  This is so frustrating as an educator. Nothing irritates me more than a non-educator, upon finding out I'm a teacher, starts telling me how I should do things. It's almost as bad as sitting next to an arm-chair quarterback trying to explain how Josh Allen should be throwing the ball differently.  Chris is aware of this frustration of having unqualified people making decisions about education, and he is at a loss as well. Chris Rothfuss: Education is certainly not a business. But at the same time, imagine you were a business and you were hiring for the job. Instead of electing for the job, you would immediately eliminate the entire slate. And this would be true of so many of the things so many of the positions, so many elected officials. If it were a list of applicants and you were the hiring officer, you'd just be like not qualified, not qualified, not qualified. How did we get to the point where our elected officials And the folks that we put in charge could never even get a job at the institution they're being put in charge of. Think about that. Many of the people in positions to make policy decisions about education do not have the qualifications to be hired within the education system. Why do we accept this?  When the people in charge of the institution aren't involved in the institution, they aren't informed enough to be making decisions that are in the best interest of those people, the students and teachers and administrators, that are in that institution daily. This results in bad policy or policy fueled by animosity towards education or animosity towards any federal institution.  Chris Rothfuss: We've moved away from having a supportive team of pro-education legislators on the education committee that was struggling and working to do what was best for K-12 public education and really working hard to now over the last few years, embracing this mentality that our public schools are failing, and that somehow, for profit, religious charter schools from out of state will solve our problems, or decreasing funding will solve our problems, or belittling teachers and calling them out. Maybe holding them responsible for tiny actions or making them post everything that they're doing every single day online for parents to nitpick is somehow going to help. We haven't really in the legislature seen anything that I would call a strong positive pro education proposal in probably the last four years, But what we have seen are policies that attack educators or education as a whole, and this is exhausting as a teacher. For many this adds to the feeling of being disrespected. If our elected officials, people who are seen as community leaders, are attacking education from an uninformed platform, it perpetuates a devaluing of education, thus a devaluing of teachers. And teachers are tired of it, and it's contributing to why they are quitting.   Chris Rothfuss: We have some of the least informed policy makers shouting the loudest about their beliefs in education, that they're entirely unqualified to bring forward and promote. And yet, by being the loudest voice in the room and an angry voice, it's just easy to generate a mob mentality of support behind you, and to advance what is effectively bad policy and bad legislation, so we're seeing that.  And what's scary is that these poorly informed policymakers are in positions to make policy change, to make lasting impacts on education that will further ostracize teachers, hurt students, and likely make more teachers leave the profession.  Marguerite gave an example of a policymaker putting a footnote in a budget bill that tried to reject teaching Next Generation Science standards, which, as Marguerite put it Marguerite Herman: Which is like modern science. We hear about evolution, you know? I think we kind of got that one settled. Let's question gravity, shall we? Okay. I'm making fun of it, but it was, teachers had no idea it was awful. That's what happens when the legislature, which is politics, let's face it, folks, gets into the curriculum, they do not have the expertise. And then Pollock's politics doesn't always produce the greatest results, let's just say. Chris had examples of bad bills too. Chris Rothfuss: Teachers Not in Legislature In fact, when we hear when we when we bring legislation when we got some horrible bill that's coming before us in the legislature, like the horrible bill we had last year that would have required everything that teachers were doing, be posted on the web. Awful bill, bad premise, and certainly awful motivation. As far as I can tell, the only motivation is, you know, we don't know which books to burn if we don't have a full list.  So that awful bill, we didn't have a lot of teachers come up and provide public testimony against that bill, you think the whole classroom would be full, right up until you realize that no, all of those teachers were teaching at that moment in time, and would have had to take time off from teaching to come provide testimony against that lousy bill. So we don't hear the chorus of voices from the expert educators, we hear the chorus of voices from the folks that have the free time to come and yell at us. This is a great irony. Teachers who would have strong opinions about such a bill and who would be impacted by the bill, are not able to advocate in person because they are doing their jobs. And at a moment when substitutes are in short supply, leaving school to attend the legislative session is even more difficult.   Still, teacher advocacy was something that both Chris and Marguerite pointed to in terms of making a difference in policy. Policy includes curriculum choices and assessment choices. But for a teacher to speak up about assessment or curriculum requires a level of vulnerability that many teachers don't feel comfortable with.  Chris Rothfuss: Well, it's certainly understandable that when the teaching community has its strong supportive views for diversity of educational materials that are and that view is effectively contrary to a school board that again, is usually not expert, or particularly proficient in pedagogy or or education. It's going to be disconcerting for the teachers to step up and advocate because again, they're in fear for the protection and preservation of their job, and it's a flaw with our system.  I have felt this constantly over the last eight months as I've interviewed folks, researched, written, and produced this podcast. I don't know who I might offend or upset - Wyoming has a mighty small population And I don't know what impact this series could have on my job. It's a risk, but dammit, I'm tired of seeing teachers at the end of their tethers. I'm tired of being a teacher at the end of my tether. Something has to change. We need to fix this.  We need to listen to the experts, to teachers who know what they're doing, who know what good assessment looks like, who know what engagement looks like, who know the power of relationships, and who know that teachers are stretched thin. And Chris says, teacher voices could make an impact.  Chris Rothfuss: And public testimony does make a difference. And believe me if those 250 educators were able to show up and weren't obligated to be teaching at that point in time. That'd be very compelling. Beyond speaking up in legislative sessions, part of the solution to retaining teachers, might require some reflection on the roles of everyone in the multivariate universe of education. So my question to both Chris and Marguerite was if teachers should have more of a role on school boards. I asked this because many teachers point to the reality that school boards are made up of non-teachers. Not many other professional boards are run by people outside of the particular field. Marguerite was adamant that teachers should not be on school boards - she explained that's not how the statute is written. And Chris worked through the question in a very diplomatic manner, but he acknowledges a problem with people getting on school boards who are there for the wrong reasons.  Chris Rothfuss: This gets back to the question of who should govern whom and how. You'll have some people on an average school board, typical school board, that know something about education, hopefully. And then you've got people that are just mad about education. And then you've got people that are pointedly trying to slant education towards specific interest groups interests, that might be fully counter to K-12. Chris sees value in teacher expertise, but like Marguerite, he points to the possible conflict of interest with having teachers on the board.   Chris Rothfuss: It is hard to have someone on a governing body that is in the role that the body is governing as a voting member, although that can be dealt with, you can have some votes that they're there for, like the policy decisions they are included in, but maybe not the personnel decisions, there's a lot of possibilities there. So I'm one that certainly is concerned that we do not have anywhere near enough expertise on our school boards. There's no obligations for qualifications. So a lot of the problems we have stem from that lack of expertise. And ideally you want to balance.  Having some balance is a step towards a system that will retain teachers. In order to keep teachers in education, it will be important that teachers have a voice in education policy and decision making. Teachers shouldn't be a scapegoat when things go wrong, nor should they be excluded or put in positions where they exclude themselves from decision making positions because they fear retaliation or because they are so busy that they can't make room for something else.  We need to reimagine and consider the roles of everyone tied to the education process because right now, the teachers working with kids and engaging in the education process are often left out of the conversation. Dylan Bear, a teacher we heard from a few episodes ago, had the best analogy for how we should think about everyone's role in education.  Dylan Bear: Imagine, a fence, you know, like a round pen for a horse. The respect has to come from all angles for someone to learn. And you have to have the community showing respect of the education system, you have to have parents showing respect, you have to have the students show respect to the teacher showing respect for that. And so this ring of respect has to be there, of the education system. Or else if one of those falls out, like have a parent, dad or mom say, I'm not dealing with my kid at school, I call the principals and then once that happened, that kid got out of the pen because now he goes the path of least resistance to leave the education system.  The key image that Dylan is presenting here is the ring of respect that requires everyone associated with education to have a role, and trusting each other to cover their role. And for Dylan, even though he points to an analogy of a horse pen, he says this could take place anywhere.   Dylan Bear: And it doesn't have to be four walls and bricks and the fence at the school. I think that's such a weird way to learn. I love going to the mountains and going on trails where now you're vulnerable, and you want people to respect you and trust you. You look at the different environments for education, so different. But yeah, trying to get what needs to change to me is you have to have communities that value teachers that don't want to use that negative language. You have to have kids who value it. So education has to be a collective of support with and around kids. To gain that support and trust and collectivity we need to have a clear purpose of education - this echoes last episode. Right now, we base the purpose of education on how we evaluate students or how we can cover a tremendous amount of material. An unintended consequence of having so much material to cover is that education might feel like a grind to students. A grind without a sense of purpose makes it difficult for students to care. So to shift what is happening in the classroom and to create a structure in which roles are clear and supportive of one another in education, Chris thinks legislators should start by listening to teacher concerns. Chris Rothfuss: So when we hear from our teachers, what their real concerns are right now, and when they come back to me as a legislator and say, mental health is the problem for both students and teachers. We should listen. And we should adjust because at the end of the day we're not these rulers that are supposed to be at a distance and making proclamations. Our job is to listen and to learn from folks that know what they're talking about. And then try to put in place policies that affect change that enable everyone to do what they want to do and are trying to accomplish. And particularly in the public education system, we have that constitutional obligation to provide this high quality education for all.  For Chris, the role of legislators is to seek out experts to inform their decisions about policy that will impact those experts. So, for policy about education, legislators ought to speak to educators. And to do so in a way that is welcoming and doesn't just put more work on teacher plates. Chris also pointed out that to help mental health, which would contribute to keeping teachers, he thinks there should be a push to shift our priorities away from developing workers, which ideally means a shift away from high stakes assessment.   Chris Rothfuss: Honestly, if our first priority was joy in learning. As job number one, just imagine how much more we would learn. And that's the message that comes if we want to set it at the legislative level, we want to set it at the school district level. It does come from the policy leaders setting what is the mission? And right now our mission is develop workers. Chris explained that the role of legislators is to set the education mission, which could be seen as a purpose of education. And he thinks, especially at this present moment of teacher attrition and teachers and students both struggling with mental health, that the mission should prioritize the joy of learning. And if that mission is set, evaluative practices and accountability models can be adjusted. This will then dictate how school boards will work to achieve the new mission's objectives. It's a top-down shift, but if the top (legislators) consult the bottom (teachers and students) then it's more of a down-top-down shift? Whatever it is, it might help. Chris said that he would even be willing to take a drop in proficiency if we have happy kids and happy teachers.  Chris Rothfuss: My absolute ideal is to heavily prioritize joy in the classroom, and to focus our efforts, our resources, our activities, and our prioritization towards building joy in the classroom, with the expectation that with that joy, you would be addressing mental health issues, both for the teachers and for the students. And I'd love to see where that takes us. And what that means is ratcheting back this prioritization to build robots and the prioritization of score high on tests. And I'll take a 10% less proficient happy group. I will. At the end of the day, they can learn a little more math later. And if they're happy about education, then I think they'll have an opportunity to learn a little more about math later.  This mission would also shift the roles of us, the collective us, parents, teachers, administrators, legislators, community members, everyone, to not think of our K-12 experience as the only time we should be learning. If there was an assumption that learning was a lifelong process, Chris believes that we might have a cultural shift that results in valuing and enjoying learning, which would have a major impact on how teachers are viewed.  Chris Rothfuss: We think that you have an education phase in life. We've built a system around the idea that you have an education phase, phase one. Phase two and beyond never get any more education. Avoid, if possible. I would love a system where everyone just kind of keeps going back to school.  The move towards life-long learners that Chris is proposing would be a conceptual shift, but it could be supported concretely by a move away from overtesting or overemphasis on testing. Because our current system requires testing, this might mean we reimagine what testing looks like all together. Could it be a conversation? Something more authentic than a bubble sheet? Federal regulations have some flexibility there. Either way, the amount of attention given to Summative or End of Course testing is focusing on a product and not the process. Focusing only on the product is not creating a culture that loves learning - it's kind of the opposite. It's creating anxiety and pressure around learning. So if we can lessen the stress by drastically cutting back the amount and pressure of assessments, maybe we can focus on process and create a joy of learning.  So, by shifting priorities away from high stakes testing, we can stop structuring education in a way that prepares only for tests. This might mean loosening the grip on what curriculum can look like or what courses can be offered. For example, I once taught a course at the University of Wyoming called the history of Swing Dancing. We looked at the correlation of historic events and their impact on popular culture. When the class ended, a group of girls continued their final project and created a club on campus called Real Women Real Bodies. This class encouraged students to continue learning beyond the restrictions of the semester.  When I proposed to create this class for the high school setting in my district, it was declined because it didn't fit within the Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum. So a shift might allow us to create new, novel courses that might inspire students to continue learning and growing well beyond the course. Such a shift will likely reinvigorate teachers who almost all have unique expertise and would love to incorporate such things into a course.  So, as Chris pointed out, to adopt a new educational direction, it must start with a shift in mission at the legislative level - hopefully fueled by teacher input. And I think it can happen, especially in a state like Wyoming that wants to be a national leader in education - it even says so in the Wyoming Accountability Act.   So creating a mission that prioritizes the joy of learning by focusing on process over product could happen.  Then how the decision is implemented should trickle down. Hopefully, this would result in teachers wanting to stay in education. And if all of this happens, if we can make that allegorical ring of respect and support that Dylan mentioned,  just imagine how much better the education will be for our students. Students will ideally feel that joy of learning and feel like what they do in school has purpose because that's what many of them want from school.  This is idealistic. But when making changes, we need to strive for idealism and not be guided by fear. Because what we have now is not working. Many people are aware of this and are already taking steps to make changes that will hopefully make education better and help keep teachers in education. Next episode, we're going to take a look at what people are doing to help keep teachers in education. This includes Task Forces, Mentoring Programs, Fellowships, and more. That will be next time on Those Who Can't Teach Anymore. Thank you for listening. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast, leave a review, and share episodes with everyone you can think of. This episode was produced by me, Charles Fournier. It was edited by Melodie Edwards. Other editing help came from Noa Greenspan, Sarah-Ann Leverette, and Jennica Fournier. Our theme song is by Julian Saporiti. All other music can be found on our website. A special thanks to Anjel Garcia, Mark Perkins, Shane Atkinson, Jaye Wacker, Jennica Fournier, Marguerite Herman, Chris Rothfuss, and Dylan Bear for taking time to sit down and chat with me. If you are interested in seeing Mark Perkins' full report, “Teacher Attrition in Wyoming: Factors to Consider” you can find the link in the transcript for this episode and on our instagram page @thosewhocantteachanymore.  This podcast is funded in part by the Fund for Teachers Fellowship.

As children of the 90s and 2000s, Millenials are intimately familiar with the concept of "Edutainment." In an attempt to meet the kids where they were, educators tried their hardest to develop games where the real plot was the lessons we learned along the way. Weirdly, around the same time, video games got real gray and gritty. Wouldn't it be wild if you smashed those two concepts together? Wouldn't it?   Andrew unlocks the vault of controversial video games and pulls Postal 2 from its depths. Todd checks the Sonic box and makes sure we all know what our hedgehog personas look like. Kyle makes us all very uncomfortable as we explore religious trauma together. What more could you possibly want when we ask, "What gritty game would make the best Edutainment game?" The title of this week's episode was selected by our Patrons in our Discord Community! If you want to help us choose the next one, join our discord, and/or get some bonus content, become part of #ButtThwompNation at patreon.com/debatethiscast Have you seen our Twitter? twitter.com/debatethiscast Have you seen our Instagram? instagram.com/debatethiscast Want to send us an email? debatethiscast@gmail.com You called us on our bluff and gave us more than 20 new reviews during Spooktacular Season! That means we're forcing Todd to stream Doki Doki Literature Club on our Twitch. Come watch the mad/sadness November 29th and 30th, 7pm EST, twitch.tv/debatethiscast. Properties we talked about this week: Postal 2, Death Stranding, Devil May Cry, Sonic, Shadow the Hedgehog Call of Duty, The No Child Left Behind Act, Schoolhouse Rock Music for Debate This! is provided by composer Ozzed under a Creative Commons license. Check out more of their 8-bit bops at www.ozzed.net!

Go to http://functionofbeauty.com/casket to get 20% off your first order when you subscribe.  Welcome to the Corporate Casket, a semiweekly series where bad businesses go to die. We will discuss any and everything from bad charities, terrible CEOs, and businesses that have a lot to hide.  In the early 2000s, something seemed abundantly clear in the United States; the country was falling behind the rest of the world in education. With the academics dropping and, coincidentally, the military enrollment, the government decided it was time to come up with a plan. So, the No Child Left Behind Act was brought into existence. At first, everyone seemed hopeful that the new plan in American education would make a difference—and it did. But, not the kind the United States was searching for.  Connect with me: https://linktr.ee/iilluminaughtii Sources: https://justpaste.it/9nigk Writers/Researchers/Helpers: Jess Hubbert This episode was edited and mixed by: @GThomasCraig  Album cover art created by: Betsy Primes Intro Song Credits: Last to Fall- Will Van De Crommert Outro Song Credits: Sacred and Profane- Nicholas Rowe

Dr. Fisher-Hickman has over twenty years of conducting historical and genealogical research, teaching experience, and expertise in community projects, Public History, secondary and post-secondary education in the African American community. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and a Master of Arts Degree in Public History with a concentration in African American history, community studies, and oral history from Howard University. She also holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Leadership in Educational Administration (Ph.D.) from Capella University. Her dissertation dealt with adjudicated students' school achievement in secondary education, transformational leadership and the congressional act, No Child Left Behind Act. Be sure to connect with Dr. Holly here Website: www.drhickmanrechargerebuild.com IG@ Failuretolever FB@ BuildingUpWives --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/inspirationaltalks/support

Our guest today is Angela Cacace, founder of Move Over Bob, an online community sharing resources, inspiration, and knowledge to a growing number of women in skilled trades. Bob in this case refers to the men who have long dominated the industry, but Angela isn't trying to make this an ‘us vs. them' fight. Instead, she wants those who already have a seat at the table to move over and allow anyone and everyone a chance to join the ranks of skilled trade workers. Listen in as we cover everything from why the No Child Left Behind Act is responsible for a reduced trade labor force, how winning a competition on the show This Old House turned her hobby into a career, and how to deal with the struggle of managing both a family and a business at the same time.

Welcome to The Nonlinear Library, where we use Text-to-Speech software to convert the best writing from the Rationalist and EA communities into audio. This is: Lost Purposes , published by Eliezer Yudkowsky on the AI Alignment Forum. It was in either kindergarten or first grade that I was first asked to pray, given a transliteration of a Hebrew prayer. I asked what the words meant. I was told that so long as I prayed in Hebrew, I didn't need to know what the words meant, it would work anyway. That was the beginning of my break with Judaism. As you read this, some young man or woman is sitting at a desk in a university, earnestly studying material they have no intention of ever using, and no interest in knowing for its own sake. They want a high-paying job, and the high-paying job requires a piece of paper, and the piece of paper requires a previous master's degree, and the master's degree requires a bachelor's degree, and the university that grants the bachelor's degree requires you to take a class in 12th-century knitting patterns to graduate. So they diligently study, intending to forget it all the moment the final exam is administered, but still seriously working away, because they want that piece of paper. Maybe you realized it was all madness, but I bet you did it anyway. You didn't have a choice, right? A recent study here in the Bay Area showed that 80% of teachers in K-5 reported spending less than one hour per week on science, and 16% said they spend no time on science. Why? I'm given to understand the proximate cause is the No Child Left Behind Act and similar legislation. Virtually all classroom time is now spent on preparing for tests mandated at the state or federal level. I seem to recall (though I can't find the source) that just taking mandatory tests was 40% of classroom time in one school. The old Soviet bureaucracy was famous for being more interested in appearances than reality. One shoe factory overfulfilled its quota by producing lots of tiny shoes. Another shoe factory reported cut but unassembled leather as a "shoe". The superior bureaucrats weren't interested in looking too hard, because they also wanted to report quota overfulfillments. All this was a great help to the comrades freezing their feet off. It is now being suggested in several sources that an actual majority of published findings in medicine, though "statistically significant with p

 Good morning and welcome to Montrose Fresh, from The Montrose Daily Press. It's MondayAugust 16th and we're here to bring you a closer look at our top stories, events and more that matter to us here in Western Colorado.    Today -  Like the rest of the state, test scores in Montrose County School District have dropped. But this was expected because of the pandemic.   Today's episode is brought to you by Elevate Internet. Whether it's for your home or your business they offer the best speeds at the best price. Right now, if you refer a friend you can get $25 off! Give them a call for more information at 844-386-8744 or visit them at elevateinternet.com.   Now, our feature story.   Like the rest of the state, test scores in Montrose County School District have dropped. But this was expected because of the pandemic.   Test scores in Montrose parallel the overall decrease in CMAS test scores observed throughout the state of Colorado.   Also, longstanding gaps among racial and ethnic subgroups widened.   The percentage of Hispanic students who scored into the lowest category on math exams grew from 24% in 2019 to 33% this spring, while the amount of white students scoring into the lowest category only grew by five percentage points, from 8% to 13%.   The state of Colorado has required some form of standardized testing since 1993. Students in fourth- through eighth-grade took the first round of tests under the Colorado Student Assessment Program in 1997.   Then, President George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act into law in 2001, which mandated annual math and English testing for third- through eighth-grade students.   But Spring 2020 testing in Colorado and most other states was canceled because of the pandemic.   So although district-level data on participation rates were not immediately available, CDE data suggests that rates fell across the state. In rural and remote schools, only 60-73% of students participated in required statewide assessments, while 77-88% of students in outlying cities and towns took the exams.   All testing across the state was in-person. The state department of education did not allow students to test remotely because of inequities in access to technology, reliable internet and quiet spaces.   The vast majority of students in Montrose attended in-person last year, so testing conditions did not change dramatically from previous years.  But students attending 100% online school came into the district office to be tested.   To read more on this story visit us at montrosepress.com   Before we go…    We'd like to take a moment to remember Vincent Lovato of Montrose. Vincent was born in 1989.   Vincent attended elementary, junior high, and high school in Montrose. He was a self-taught musician who won the Colorado's Got Talent competition. He enjoyed cooking and worked as a sous chef at numerous restaurants in Montrose. Vincent also set up mobile homes in the surrounding area. His smile was very contagious and it brightened any room he was in; he loved making people laugh from the time he was a very young boy.   He leaves behind his 2-year-old son Parker. He is also survived by his love, Rachel, his parents, sister, and grandmother.   In lieu of flowers the family requests that you donate to The Children's Music Fund in Vincent's name. Thank you for taking a moment with us to remember and celebrate his life.   That's all for today, thank you for listening! For more information on any of these stories visit us at montrosepress.com.   And don't forget to check out our sponsor, Elevate Internet. Visit them at elevateinternet.com to learn more.   For more than 137 years, The Montrose Daily Press has been dedicated to shining a light on all the issues that matter to our community. Go to montrosepress.com to subscribe for just $1.99 per week for our digital edition. You'll get unlimited access to every story, feature, and special section. Thank you and remember to tune in again next time on montrosepress.com or wherever you listen to podcasts. Support the show: https://www.montrosepress.com/site/forms/subscription_services/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  In August 2019, the New York Times magazine published a special issue called "The 1619 Project." In the two years since the project's publication, discourse has moved beyond discussion of the triumphs of the project (and its creator Nikole Hannah-Jones)  and instead focused on perceived failures. And! We don't like that! Hannah & Suzanne highlight four individuals with ties to the 1619 Project and discuss the nature of history, who has and does not have the right to frame history, and the ways events of the past continue to shape the present.   Also! Senator Tom Cotton assumes his rightful place beside the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and the No Child Left Behind Act. Congratulations, Senator Cotton!  Visit our website for links to all of the 1619 Project's source material as well as supplemental resources.   Over These Walls by Hope and Social is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Hannah & Suzanne welcome PhD candidate Karen Feagin. Her research specialty is educational language policy and she helps us pull apart the racist turducken of the US education system's policies for students who are English learner classified. Her 3-ish things (*sparkle emojis*) take us through policies and laws at the federal/national level which have had (and continue to have) long-lasting impact on English learner classified students. We also meet a new villain: the No Child Left Behind Act.   References and ResourcesLook up information about your state's Board of EducationOn Lau v. Nichols (1974) Supreme Court Case On the Every Student Succeeds Act (2015)Eve L. Ewing, Ghosts in the SchoolyardOn the impact of Brown v. Board on Black schools, teachers, and administratorsVanessa Siddle Walker, Lost Education of Horace Tate (Note: We cited the incorrect book, Hello, Professor, in the episode.)Fact sheet on English learner classified studentsRAND study of dual-language education (demonstrating academic benefits of bilingual education) Over These Walls by Hope and Social is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Margaret Spellings serves as President and CEO of Texas 2036, bringing with her knowledge and experience developed over an exceptional career in public service at both the state and national level. Most recently, Spellings served as the president of the 17-institution University of North Carolina System, leading the state’s public university into a new period of performance, affordability, and growth with a focus on improving economic mobility, ensuring accountability, and advancing the public good. Prior to that, Spellings served as president of the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, Texas, where she oversaw programs on economic opportunity, education reform, global health, and special initiatives on women’s leadership and military service. From 2005 to 2009, Spellings served as U.S. Secretary of Education, leading the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act, a bipartisan initiative to provide greater accountability for the education of 50 million U.S. public school students. As secretary, she also launched the Commission on the Future of Higher Education, a plan to address challenges of access, affordability, quality, and accountability in our nation’s colleges and universities. Prior to serving as Secretary, Spellings served as White House domestic policy advisor from 2001 to 2005, overseeing the administration’s agenda on education, transportation, health, justice, housing, and labor.Spellings experience also includes serving as senior advisor to then-Governor George W. Bush of Texas, president and CEO of Margaret Spellings and Company, a Washington, DC, consulting firm that provided strategic guidance on a variety of domestic policy matters, and as a president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, advocating for more effective education and workforce training.Spellings was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, but spent much of her childhood in Houston. She is a graduate of the University of Houston, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in political science. She also received an honorary doctorate and Distinguished Alumni Award from the university in 2006. Spellings has two adult daughters and resides in Dallas.

In this episode we discuss the School to Prison Pipeline in honor of Black History Month. Topics include a brief history of Black History month, Zero-tolerance policies, the No Child Left Behind Act and more.

On the sixth episode of season 2, Podcasting On The Go, we discuss the No Child Left Behind Act as well as the Every Student Succeeds Act. Both of these acts/government policies left students uneducated, talented teachers handcuffed, and parents fed up with the public school system in America! LET'S READ Visit mtbecker @ www.live-grow-sustain.com

That Social Work Lady welcomes our first guest Ms. Cassie Williams, M. Ed. to talk parity in education. Ms. Williams, a leader in education, shares her experience as a product of traditional public schools, a parochial school, a private afrocentric school, and a charter school academy. As a leader, Ms. Williams is a champion for Education for Liberation which she defines as empowering students with the knowledge they need to 'be whatever they want to be.'During this conversation we explore the impact school choice had on the trajectory of our lives as well as the power adults in schools have to minimize the disparities students in urban schools experience. Schools being equally funded is the first step in eliminating the resource gap. However, once schools are funded with parity the adults in charge must take up the mantle of education students for their liberation.Let's build community!NOTE:The United States has had 2 black men serve as Secretary of Education:1. Rod Paige was the 7th United States Secretary of Education 2001 - 2005 during the Bush Administration. He was the architect of the No Child Left Behind Act. He was the first black person ever to serve as the US Secretary of Education.2. John B. King, Jr. was the 10th United State Secretary of Education 2016 - 2017 during the Obama Administration. To learn more about him please visit his website www.edtrust.org. During his tenure as Education Secretary , Mr. King focused his efforts of the department on achievement gaps between disadvantaged students and their better-off peers. He was instrumental in the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act.

This podcast examines the impact of the No Child Left Behind Act, college readiness for Latinx students and English Language Learners. By Wendy.

“Your child has to have a teacher with a certificate that allows her to teach children with more significant needs.”  Or, “you child has ___ disability category, so you’re child belongs in ___ room.”  Ever hear that?  If you have, you need to hear this: Disability category and diagnosis do not drive placement.  Disability category and diagnosis do not induce teacher certificate.  There, I said it.  Now, can I back it up?   In today’s episode I debunk these two common misperceptions using guidance documents from the United States Department of Education and little primer on a part of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.  I know, it sounds boring, but I promise, I break the law down for you in a way that will make you say, “Ah hah!!!”   Every year I have oodles of parents that call me looking for a more inclusive IEP.  Nearly every one of them says something like, “My child has autism, so he’s in a self-contained room,” or “He qualifies as having a Functional Mental Disability, so his teacher has to be certified to teach child with moderate or severe needs,” or “Every other child that has Down syndrome has gone to ‘the unit.”  Unfortunately, schools continue to spew these falsities, and parents, lacking the training on special education laws, simply agree.   I am here to provide the information, the advocacy tips, and the practical strategies to advocate for less restrictive and more inclusive environments.   This is a tip of the inclusion iceberg.  If you’d like to know more, hop over to https://ashleybarlowco.com/product-page-inclusion-workshop-workbook and download my Comprehensive Inclusion Training, which deeper into the topic.  

Here's a story of actual racial injustice that happened in a liberal North Shore school district: District 113. As you read this, imagine if the Hispanic community in Highland Park and Highwood, Illinois knew this story. In 2007, District 113, which is composed of Deerfield and Highland Park High Schools, received a federal grant of thousands of dollars because Highland Park High School (HPHS) had failed to make “Adequate Yearly Progress” (AYP).  AYP is a tool for measuring how well a district's students perform on standardized tests under the controversial No Child Left Behind Act. Read more...

Here’s a story of actual racial injustice that happened in a liberal North Shore school district: District 113. As you read this, imagine if the Hispanic community in Highland Park and Highwood, Illinois knew this story. In 2007, District 113, which is composed of Deerfield and Highland Park High Schools, received a federal grant of thousands of dollars because Highland Park High School (HPHS) had failed to make “Adequate Yearly Progress” (AYP).  AYP is a tool for measuring how well a district’s students perform on standardized tests under the controversial No Child Left Behind Act. Read more……

This episode goes in briefly about the No Child Left Behind Act, Social Justice Reform, Bills and Laws passing during Covid19. While the lobbyists and lawmakers are rewriting bills, we need to focus on the education of the now and future children an rewrite the wrongs out of these history books! Right the Wrongs and keep yourselves educated!!

In this episode, Doug Mesecar talks about the impact of COVID-19 on the education system. We discuss the congressional response, how it changes educational policy, and the funding landscape. This is a must-listen for anyone in education - including policymakers, superintendents, and business leaders. Doug Mesecar has served in senior operational and policy roles at the U.S. Department of Education, Congress, and top education companies. Before joining Strategos Group in 2019. In Doug's various roles at the U.S.D.O.E., he advised the Secretary and senior staff on the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act and other federal laws and regulations, with a particular focus on education innovation, charters, technology, teacher training, and accountability.

Pat Greco In 2011, Dr. Pat Greco began as the superintendent of the Menomonee Falls School District in Wisconsin. She faced no shortage of problems: a suspension rate seven times higher than the state average, performance gaps across income and race, cost overruns, and a failure to meet performance goals defined under the No Child Left Behind Act among others. Not to mention a new administration was upending collective bargaining for public sector employees instilling fear within the teachers she was setting out to lead. By the end of her tenure she had led the school district to rank as one of the country’s best. She did so primarily through PDCA cycles in the classroom between teachers and students, as well as between management and the board of education.

Montana Free Press Editor-in-Chief John Adams sat down last week with Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen for a wide-ranging discussion on the Montana Lowdown Podcast about growing concerns over lead in the drinking water of Montana public schools, Title 1 funding, school choice, and President Trump’s rollback of key provisions of President Obama’s Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). In one of his first actions as president, Donald Trump, with the help of House and Senate Republicans, rolled back key provisions of ESSA, the 2015 education law that replaced George W. Bush’s No Child Left Behind Act.  Arntzen says that while she supported ESSA, she also supporters less government regulation of schools and current moves toward taxpayer funding for private schools. Says Arntzen: “Why would anybody want a top-down law that’s going to have compliance measures to that? Nobody wants a student to fail. ... School choice ... is a flexibility for a student. ... It’s a consumer choice of what you do with your money before it’s taxed. ... If I want to say, ‘I want to spend my money here, or spend my money there,’ the state should have no authority on what that should be.” Montana Free Press Editor-in-Chief John Adams sat down last week with Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen for a wide-ranging discussion about growing concerns over lead in the drinking water of Montana public schools, Title 1 funding, school choice, and President Trump’s rollback of key provisions of President Obama’s Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). In one of his first actions as president, Donald Trump, with the help of House and Senate Republicans, rolled back key provisions of ESSA, the 2015 education law that replaced George W. Bush’s No Child Left Behind Act. Arntzen said that while she supports ESSA, she also supports less government regulation of schools and current moves toward taxpayer funding for private schools.  “Why would anybody want a top-down law that’s going to have compliance measures to that? Nobody wants a student to fail,” Arntzen told Adams on the podcast. “School choice ... is a flexibility for a student. ... It’s a consumer choice of what you do with your money before it’s taxed. ... If I want to say, ‘I want to spend my money here, or spend my money there,’ the state should have no authority on what that should be.” Arntzen recently made headlines when she sparred with state health officials over proposed new rules aimed at dealing with lead in the drinking water of Montana schools. Arntzen said her decision to push back against the changes was grounded in her objection to the process by which they were proposed.  “Patience is going to be needed for this,” Arntzen said. “We are going to be pressing for this in front of interim committees before the Legislature comes again in 2021. ... The Office of Public Instruction and other stakeholders, education advocates, were not even invited to the table in a broad, meaningful discussion. ... That’s not good government, that is not transparent government.” Arntzen also discussed her prior career as an educator, her six terms in the Montana state Legislature, and her current campaign for re-election against Democratic opponent Melissa Romano. Arntzen defeated Romano in the 2016 race for the office of public instruction by a margin of 3.3 percent, becoming the first Republican to hold the office since 1988. Arntzen also discussed her prior career as an educator, her six terms in the Montana state Legislature, and her current campaign for re-election against Democratic opponent Melissa Romano. Arntzen defeated Romano in the 2016 race for the office of public instruction by a margin of 3.3 percent, becoming the first Republican to hold the office since 1988.

From high-stakes testing to heightened federal accountability, the No Child Left Behind Act brought myriad changes to American classrooms. According to two new studies by the University of Dayton’s Meredith Wronowski, it also had significant unintended impacts on teacher perceptions – including increased feelings of stress and demoralization – and workplace turnover. Wronowski joins CPRE Knowledge Hub managing editor Keith Heumiller to discuss her findings, and offers some key takeaways for policymakers, teachers, and school leaders hoping to chart a different course in the Every Student Succeeds Act era.

Perceptions of Paradox Illusions of Professional Skepticism Perceptions of Paradox:   Illusions of Professional Skepticism When I saw Beverly Hall's picture, I was reminded of my favorite elementary school teacher, Mrs. Foreman. Hall was Jamaican- American and her smile, like Mrs. Foreman's,  seemed extraordinarily kind. She was the superintendent of the Atlanta public schools and named the national superintendent of the year in February 2009 by the American  Association of School Administrators. The honor had been earned by raising test scores,  including those on standardized tests that had been designed to hold teachers accountable as part of the No Child Left Behind Act. By October the test scores were under scrutiny after being deemed statistically improbable. The truth was, there was cheating going on. A lot of cheating, but this time it wasn't by students. Erasure patterns were discovered on answer sheets that made it appear as though educators had corrected student's answers immediately after the testing. Students that had learning disabilities suddenly became proficient in math and reading, and students who were considered gifted went from exceptional to perfect. In the fall of 2010, fifty agents with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation started questioning teachers about the conspiracy to falsify test scores. They considered Hall to be the ringleader. An accusation she vehemently denied. She allegedly offered cash bonuses to teachers who could meet the minimum score targets. The culture in the schools became one of unrelenting pressure to raise scores, and the cheating had reportedly been an open secret for years. All in all, investigators identified 178 teachers and administrators that had fraudulently corrected student's answers. Hall was indicted in March of 2013 and on April 1, 2015, eleven teachers were convicted on racketeering charges and led from the courtroom in handcuffs in what had become one of the largest standardized test cheating scandals in U.S. history. As I was reading research into the Atlanta cheating case I felt a little twinge of pushback when I learned that Beverly Hall was a target in the investigation. What I'd imagine it would feel like if someone had suggested to me that Mrs. Foreman was a cheater. This is a tell-tale sign of implicit bias that can sabotage your reasoning. I speak for experts that make high-stakes decisions as a routine part of their jobs and when I talk with them about professional skepticism, they generally see it as the opposite of being gullible. This view may seem intuitive but comes with serious risks of misjudgment when making critical decisions. In the real world, many of our judgments force us to choose between competing alternatives, not to simply evaluate a single item. If you need to make a choice, simply doubting all of the factors isn't helpful. Also, consider that the way we apply doubt is biased, we apply it unevenly. Evidence that meets our assumptions generally gets a free pass, while evidence that challenges our preconceived beliefs receives more scrutiny. If your view of professional skepticism is simply setting a higher bar before you believe something, your judgment process is like a ticking time bomb. You're bound, at some point, to make a critical error and here's why. When we talk about skepticism, we almost always mean avoiding believing something is true when it isn't. This is a false positive or a type 1 error. We forget that a false negative, believing something is false when it's actually true, can be just as harmful. Effective skepticism should be a constant process. A screening process kind of like a signal to noise ratio that acts as a gauge for the relevancy of evidence and how we update our beliefs. Experts have a variety of tools designed to guide their judgment. Physicians use algorithms that inform them which treatment regimen could be the most effective for a particular patient. Engineers use root cause analysis to separate symptoms...

Christian and Ian could probably pass as emotionless alien duplicates. For this episode we have plenty of announcements and several movies to discuss. The first movie up for review is the heavy metal, demonic possession movie now available on VOD, THE DEVIL'S CANDY. We double down on new releases and also review the classroom torture porn movie, THE LESSON. Finally for our Movie from the Crypt segment we discuss the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers. We also discuss the No Child Left Behind Act, mac and cheese bites, and the Jennifer Love Hewitt film Can't Hardly Wait.  We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions, or any requests you have. You can contact us at: ItsOnlyFeedback@gmail.com and on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Letterboxd.

Is it time to end the U.S. Department of Education? With bipartisan support, the Every Student Succeeds Act curbed much of the federal control that reached its apogee with the No Child Left Behind Act, Race to the Top, and NCLB waivers. Now, with the Trump administration considering federal influence to spread school choice, even many of the biggest advocates of a robust federal role may be rethinking federal power. Join us as we debate whether it is time, politically and educationally, to eliminate the Department of Education, and if so, what should happen to its programs and functions. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

00:01 Telling the truth 00:28 Being in the pocket of Wall Street 00:44 The Clinton Foundation, Saudi Arabia 04:48 Paid speeches for Wall Street 09:40 Housing crisis 10:09 Glass-Steagall Act, banker bailouts 11:26 Wall Street 12:06 Trust 12:50 Gay marriage 15:02 Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) 15:40 NAFTA, conflicts of interest 17:48 Illegal immigration 18:56 Progressive values 19:34 Email server 22:53 Benghazi 27:27 Iraq war 30:06 Patriot Act 30:41 Edward Snowden 31:02 Foreign policy 31:38 Climate change, renewable energy, big oil 34:42 Black Lives Matter 37:12 Fear of black men 37:24 "Super-predators" 39:00 1994 Clinton crime bill, racial prejudice 44:16 Welfare 44:38 Racial wealth gap, deregulation 45:16 Confederate flag controversy 45:42 The Democratic party 45:51 Prison-industrial complex 46:20 Rahm Emanuel 46:46 Bernie Sanders 47:12 Marijuana, criminal justice reform, the drug war 48:03 Attack tactics, healthcare 49:19 Experience 49:29 Walmart, child labor 50:25 No Child Left Behind Act 50:54 Haiti 51:27 Landing under sniper fire 54:02 Council on Foreign Relations 54:48 Children 58:00 Email server, FBI indictment 1:06:38 Guns 1:07:23 Personal wealth, houses 1:08:50 Accountability Fair Use Notice: This video contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in an effort to advance understanding of political, human rights, economic, and social justice issues, etc. Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for fair use for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.

The No Child Left Behind Act, with its rules about everything from teacher qualifications to school interventions, has finally been replaced. What took so long? Finally getting the left and right to agree that Washington had gone too far. But is the Every Student Succeeds Act, NCLB’s replacement, really designed to withdraw Washington from the nation’s classrooms? And is there danger that the U.S. Department of Education will write regulations maintaining federal power no matter what the statute’s intent? We hope you’ll join us for a crucial discussion about the newest federal education law. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Sometime in the next few weeks, Senate Republicans and Democrats will vote to reauthorize The No Child Left Behind Act […]

Sometime in the next few weeks, Senate Republicans and Democrats will vote to reauthorize The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. On the podcast this week, we talk to two education advocates who differ on how and when we should test our kids.

Kathryn interviews award-winning educator Kim Bearden, author of “Crash Course: The Life Lessons My Students Taught Me”. Bearden co-founded the Ron Clark Academy (RCA), an internationally-acclaimed middle school and educator training facility in Southeast Atlanta, which Oprah has called The Best School in America. In Crash Course Bearden shares the tools she uses to connect with students in a way that motivates and inspires as she reflects on key moments in her personal and professional life. Kathryn also interviews retired Colonel Dr. Les Stein, author of “Education Disrupted: Strategies for Saving Our Failing Schools”. Failing schools have become the latest academic cottage industry, and they serve as lightning rods for the controversy that continues to surround the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Dr. Stein's new book is a hands-on practical guide for instructional and institutional leaders on how to make a real difference in the success of our nation's schools.

Kathryn interviews award-winning educator Kim Bearden, author of “Crash Course: The Life Lessons My Students Taught Me”. Bearden co-founded the Ron Clark Academy (RCA), an internationally-acclaimed middle school and educator training facility in Southeast Atlanta, which Oprah has called The Best School in America. In Crash Course Bearden shares the tools she uses to connect with students in a way that motivates and inspires as she reflects on key moments in her personal and professional life. Kathryn also interviews retired Colonel Dr. Les Stein, author of “Education Disrupted: Strategies for Saving Our Failing Schools”. Failing schools have become the latest academic cottage industry, and they serve as lightning rods for the controversy that continues to surround the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Dr. Stein's new book is a hands-on practical guide for instructional and institutional leaders on how to make a real difference in the success of our nation's schools.

Join Lady Dee for Tuesday's edition of Mind Magick as we delve deeper into understanding the true essence of the School-to-Prison Pipeline which pushes disadvantage students out of the school system and into the criminal justice system. While many parents today are applauding the governments No Child Left Behind Act and Zero Tolerance many fail to realize or understand that their child, regardless of the best upbringing, are too one bad decision away from being railroaded by this crooked system. Share your wisdom  with us as we listen to the voices of our youth and build on how we can take action before its too late. Call in at 347-850-8030 to listen or share your insights. For Intuitive Readings and Mind Magick Coaching visit Look Entysin Check out the website for articles, videos & ebooks Culture Freedom Radio     

Accountability is at the heart of education reform. The issue has drawn much attention as significant changes are considered for rewriting the federal No Child Left Behind Act and implementing teacher evaluations and school grades in Indiana.

Join Trellis as she broadcasts following the Jobs One event as part of the Education Nation Tour.  Georgia politicians, educators and business leaders discuss the skill gaps that plague Georgia's graduates and increase the ramp-up time for getting them ready for the world of work. Georgia is one of the states that received a waiver from the No Child Left Behind Act in order to explore more flexible education reform solutions.  Trellis will report on what she heard as part of the event and welcomes your calls and questions.   Join us next Monday at 12:00 PM EST, our regularly scheduled time, or listen to or dowload the podcast for later playback.

If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please send a message to digicomm@uchicago.edu. On the horizon is a push to monitor outcomes for children and youth across the systems that serve them, including education, child welfare, and healthcare. With healthcare reforms and changes to the No Child Left Behind Act looming, and as state child welfare agencies strive to comply with federal requirements, ideas and insights about performance measurement are especially timely.Please join us to examine the performance measures used by sectors serving children and families. Be part of the discussion as experts explore where intersections might work, where they won't, and why, and drill down on such questions as what are the opportunities for developing more effective program design and service integration through performance monitoring? How can monitoring practices across sectors support fiscal responsibility? Where do federal and state policies on performance measurement converge or diverge? How can a child development perspective enable all sectors to identify outcomes and monitor progress?

Join us each week for Coffee with Andrew and Rob, the official podcast of Coffee with Rob. Every show will involve casual conversation between myself, my good friend, Andrew Amat, and guests as we tackle opinions on the news featured here on the blog. Please join us for one hour of round table discussion. Would you like to ask a question or have your opinions mentioned on air? Email theshow@veedanews.comLittle late in the evening but I got it out on Tuesday just like I promised. This is episode 16 of Coffee with Andrew and Rob and we had a lot of news to cover. I really liked today's show because I felt that we actually used the new format better this time. We had more actual discussion than in the previous one in which we were just reporting news. As I'm sure you're aware, there was no Coffee with Rob post last week so it all revolved around the news that we featured last week. We started off talking about the two suicide bombings in Afghanistan and Iraq on Monday and gave our take on how our military is doing in these places. We then talked about Obama's new education plan, intended to replace the No Child Left Behind Act and our take on it. After that we moved to talking about Japan's crisis in Fukushima and how Japan is continuing to deal with it as well as our thoughts on what the Japanese are going to be doing in the future. After the break we spoke a bit about Atlantis being discovered, took a jab at the Spanish, and went right into our recent bombings in Libya and what we think of it.Get the podcast:[iTunes] Subscribe to the show on iTunes[BlackBerry Podcasts] Search for us on the BlackBerry Podcast app for BlackBerry smartphones[RSS] Subscribe to the show via RSS[MP3] Download the MP3 and listen on any playerOr listen here on the page:

Lance Izumi Koret Senior Fellow in Education Studies Senior Director, Education Studies Lance T. Izumi, J.D. is Koret Senior Fellow and Senior Director of Education Studies at the Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy (PRI), California’s premier free-market public-policy think tank based in San Francisco and Sacramento. He is the co-author of the groundbreaking book Not as Good as You Think: Why the Middle Class Needs School Choice (San Francisco, CA: Pacific Research Institute, 2007), which has been praised by publications such as The Wall Street Journal and Education Week. He is co-executive producer of the award-winning 2009 PRI full-length film documentary Not as Good As You Think: The Myth of the Middle Class School, which is based on his 2007 book. The film has been broadcast multiple times on PBS. He also appears in Academy Award-winning director Davis Guggenheim’s major 2010 education film documentary Waiting for Superman, which was voted best U.S. documentary at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival. In 2008, The New York Times selected Lance Izumi to be one of its online contributors on the presidential race and education issues. In 2009, The New York Times posted “Sweden’s Choice,” a video op-ed which he wrote and narrated and which has garnered critical praise. He is also the co-author of the book Free to Learn: Lessons from Model Charter Schools (San Francisco, CA: Pacific Research Institute 2005), which has been used as a guidebook for creating high-performing charter schools in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. 

 Lance Izumi is the author/co-author of numerous major PRI studies, including the "California Education Report Card: Index of Leading Education Indicators" (1997, 2000, 2003 and 2007 editions), "Failing our Future: The Holes in California’s School Accountability System and How to Fix Them" (2006), "Putting Education to the Test: A Value-Added Model for California" (2004). "They Have Overcome: High-Poverty, High-Performing Schools in California" (2002), "Facing the Classroom Challenge: Teacher Quality and Teacher Training in California’s Schools of Education" (2001), and "Developing and Implementing Academic Standards" (1999). Lance Izumi is a member of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, the largest system of higher education in the nation with nearly 3 million students. He served two one-year terms as president of the Board of Governors from 2008 through 2009, and in 2010 he received an award recognizing his leadership and service. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger initially appointed him to the Board in 2004 and re-appointed him in 2009. 

 In 2008, the United States Army appointed Lance Izumi to its Los Angeles/Southern California Advisory Board Executive Committee. In that capacity, he assists the Army with its community outreach, image enhancement, and recruiting efforts.
 In 2010, the Army’s Sacramento Recruiting Battalion named him president of its grassroots advisory council. In 2007, Lance Izumi was named to the California Advisory Committee of the United States Commission on Civil Rights. In 2003, United States secretary of education Rod Paige appointed him to the Teacher Assistance Corps, a task force of experts assigned to review state teacher quality plans as they relate to the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

 He also served a five-year term as a commissioner on the California Postsecondary Education Commission, the state’s higher education coordinating body. Lance Izumi is the co-editor of two books: Teacher Quality (Hoover Institution Press and Pacific Research Institute, 2002) and School Reform: The Critical Issues (Hoover Institution Press and Pacific Research Institute, 2001). 

For ten years, he was a regular contributor to the "Perspectives" opinion series on KQED-FM, the National Public Radio affiliate in San Francisco. Prior to going into the think-tank world, Lance Izumi served as chief speechwriter and director of writing and research for California Governor George Deukmejian. He also served in the administration of President Ronald Reagan as speechwriter to United States Attorney General Edwin Meese III. Lance Izumi served as a commissioned officer, holding the rank of captain, in the California State Military Reserve, the state defense force that assists the California National Guard. He was attached to the Public Affairs Office at CSMR Headquarters in Sacramento. During his service, Mr. Izumi was awarded the commendation medal and the achievement ribbon.

 Lance Izumi received his juris doctorate from the University of Southern California School of Law and his master of arts in political science from the University of California at Davis. He received his bachelor of arts in economics and history from the University of California at Los Angeles. Related publications: * Not as Good as You Think: Why the Middle Class Needs School Choice * Putting Education to the Test: A Value-Added Model for Education * The California Education Report Card: 2003 * California Index of Leading Education Indicators: 2000 Edition * California Education Report Card: Index of Leading Education Indicators, 4th Edition * Free to Learn: Lessons from Model Charter Schools * Failing Our Future: The Holes in California's School Accountability System and How to Fix Them * To Serve and Educate: A Handbook for School Board Members

If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please send a message to digicomm@uchicago.edu. On the horizon is a push to monitor outcomes for children and youth across the systems that serve them, including education, child welfare, and healthcare. With healthcare reforms and changes to the No Child Left Behind Act looming, and as state child welfare agencies strive to comply with federal requirements, ideas and insights about performance measurement are especially timely.Please join us to examine the performance measures used by sectors serving children and families. Be part of the discussion as experts explore where intersections might work, where they won't, and why, and drill down on such questions as what are the opportunities for developing more effective program design and service integration through performance monitoring? How can monitoring practices across sectors support fiscal responsibility? Where do federal and state policies on performance measurement converge or diverge? How can a child development perspective enable all sectors to identify outcomes and monitor progress?

Kalman Hettleman's book presents a bold, unconventional plan to rescue our nation's schoolchildren from a failing public education system. The plan reflects the author's rare fusion of on-the-ground experience as a school board member, public administrator, and political activist and exhaustive policy research.The causes of failure, Hettleman shows, lie in obsolete ideas and false certainties that are ingrained in a trinity of dominant misbeliefs: 1) that educators can be entrusted on their own to do what it takes to reform our schools; 2) that we need to retreat from the landmark federal No Child Left Behind Act and restore more local control; and 3) that politics must be kept out of public education.Kalman Hettleman has had a notable career on the frontlines of urban policy and politics, including service in Baltimore as a member of the school board and deputy mayor for education and other social programs, and as a nationally acclaimed education policy analyst. He has also served as Maryland cabinet secretary for social welfare programs, taught at universities, been a public interest attorney, and managed state and local political campaigns. Recorded On: Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Bob Spear and Jack Berckemeyer discuss the importance of advisory in the middle school. They also examine how advisory has changed over the last several years with the impact of the No Child Left Behind Act and other mandates. This episode provides schools and individuals with a sense of understanding the importance a quality advisory program brings to any great middle school.

Professor Christopher Edley addresses the question of civil rights as it relates to education, discussing his research related to Brown v. Board of Education, the No Child Left Behind Act, and state education finance.

Cable in the Classroom is pleased to present via podcast [MP3, 52MB], the January 16, 2007 edition of the U.S. Department of Education's Education News Parents Can Use.This episode features examples of high-performing public schools that are meeting the goals of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), where all students are succeeding. The program profiles these schools, featuring stories of their classrooms in action and conversations with principals and education experts about how assessment, accountability, parent options and a firm belief that all children can learn is raising the bar as never before. It addresses questions such as:Five years after being signed into law, how do we know that No Child Left Behind is working? What are the core principles of the law and what do they mean? How do they help students learn? How can the reforms of the law be extended to high school and beyond, and why is this important to American competitiveness? What kinds of options does No Child Left Behind offer to parents, especially those of students struggling in school? How can parents better take advantage of these choices or find out more about them? What are some examples of award-winning schools that have all children learning at grade level today, and what can other schools learn from their examples? What new ideas have strengthened No Child Left Behind over the years, such as growth model pilots, teacher incentives, and other initiatives? For more information about this program, please see the U.S. Department of Education's show notes.Technorati tags: Parents, News, NCLB, US Department of Education, public domain, CIC, Cable in the Classroom, cableintheclassroom, CICMy Podcast Alley feed! {pca-ae14fd9aa1f91a499da32048c2059486}

Cable in the Classroom is pleased to present via podcast [MP3, 52MB], the May 16, 2006 edition of the U.S. Department of Education's Education News Parents Can Use.This episode highlights the latest information and tools for parents provided under the federal No Child Left Behind Act and provide tips, resources and advice on how parents—especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds—can access valuable information on the performance of their children’s schools and exercise the full range of options available to them under the law. It addresses questions such as:What are the latest tools and options for parents under No Child Left Behind?What does the research show about the results and “success stories” of parental options? How do these options enable student performance?How can parents access their children’s NCLB school “report cards” and take full advantage of the options available to them under the law?If a child is attending a school “in need of improvement," where does a parent go to find out information on school choice options and approved supplemental service providers?What are Opportunity Scholarships and how might they benefit parents whose children attend chronically underperforming schools?What resources does the Department provide to inform parents about the full range of options available to them under the law?For more information about this program, please see the U.S. Department of Education's show notes.Listeners may also be interested in the Summer 2006 edition of Cable in the Classroom's Threshold (produced in partnership with the National PTA), which focused on the future of parental involvement in education.Technorati tags: parents, news, NCLB, US Department of Education, public domain, CIC, Cable in the Classroom