May 10, 2016

THE BASICSTopic: Every Student Succeeds

"With this bill, we reaffirm that fundamentally American ideal—that every child, regardless of race, income, background, the zip code where they live, deserves the chance to make of their lives what they will. " — President Barack Obama

Articles “Sticker Shock? Figuring Out the Cost of Potential ESSA Spending Rules” (5/2) (EdWeek) “John B. King Asks for Patience Following Discouraging NAEP Results” (4/29) (Education World) “Civil Rights Groups Urge Education Department to Regulate Equity for School Funding” (4/28)

(The Leadership Conference) “Race and the Standardized Testing Wars” (opinion) (4/23) (The NY Times) “Public: Less testing, more art in ed. accountability” (4/21) (Courier-Journal) “A New Era for the Battle Over Teacher Evaluations” (3/8) (The Atlantic)

Questions to Consider What is the Every Student Succeeds ACT? How is it different from No Child Left Behind? How much will this new law change education in the United States? How will the vocabulary of

educational reform change? Are equity and excellence the key words to describe ESSA?

http://www.learningfirst.org/education-secretary-details-plans-equity-better-teachers-and-essa-interview-lfa

How is equity for all students addressed in ESSA? Is federal funding provided for ESSA? What is the balance of federal and state authority on education? http://www.civilrights.org/advocacy/letters/2016/regulate-equity-school-funding.html?

Does the decline in national test scores in both reading and math add urgency to the goal of equal educational opportunities? http://www.educationworld.com/a_news/john-b-king-asks-patience-following-discouraging-naep-results-1381247784

How does testing affect current attitudes about educational reform? Is there too much testing? Are tests not testing the important achievement areas? Is testing driving the offerings in schools? Is testing replacing educational opportunities such as social studies, art and music? Does testing create a negative message to students about their abilities and progress? Are test scores a special burden to low income and minority kids or are they truth tellers about the quality of their school?

What is Common Core? Why is Common Core a divisive political topic? Is there a connection between Common Core and ESSA?

What legal responsibility for education is referred to state governments? How does federal government action impact educational decisions?

How do other governments make educational decisions? What are the international laws affecting education?

Is there a mandate for citizenship education? What afterschool opportunities are an important part of this law? How are academic offerings affected by ESSA? How is physical education affected by ESSA?

How are the arts affected by ESSA? How is technology affected by ESSA? How is teacher preparation affected by ESSA?

How is the critical role of school principals affected by ESSA? https://education.illinoisstate.edu/downloads/csep/policypapers/ESSA%20White%20Pape.pdf

How is evaluation of teachers covered in ESSA? Why is teacher evaluation a complicated and divisive issue? http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/03/a-new-era-for-the-battle-over-teacher-evaluations/472602/

How does ESSA affect teacher education? https://dianeravitch.net/2016/01/24/exclusive-how-does-essa-affect-teacher-education/

What are the funding options for education? Is there sufficient money to support the goals of ESSA?

What is the “freedom to fail” and how is it built into this law? Is there a connection between graduation rates and educational achievement? Are graduation

rates critical in a discussion of education? What are the 2016 candidates for President saying about education and education reform? Why

is education a complicated and tricky area for these candidates? How is education connected to racial and economic equality?

How significant is bipartisan support for ESSA? Should education be a partisan issue? Since states will be making more educational decisions, how will that affect teachers? Parents?

Students? Should student voices be heard in educational reform ideas? Why and how?

THE EXTRAS

Pre-teaching, Extensions & Further Reading “Understanding the Every Student Succeeds Act” (TeachHub.com) “The Every Student Succeeds Act vs. No Child Left Behind: What’s changed?” (USA Today) “Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)” (U.S. Department of Education)

Lesson Plans"

“What Does Change Look Like? Making Documentaries About School” (The Learning Network)

What’s the Connection? Constitutional

“The Federal Role in Education” (U.S. Department of Education) “Role of the Federal Government in Public Education: Where are We Now and the Impact Upon

Early Childhood Education” (League of Women Voters)

Oregon

“Bonamici Convenes Education Leaders to Discuss Implementation of New Education Law” (bonamici.house.gov)

Students “The Bloated Rhetoric of No Child Left Behind’s Demise” (The Atlantic)

Oregon State Social Science Standards8.26. Examine a controversial event, issue, or problem from more than one perspective. HS.33. Explain the role of government in various current events.HS.35. Examine the pluralistic realities of society (e.g., race, poverty, gender, and age), recognizing issues of equity, and evaluating need for change. HS.59. Demonstrate the skills and dispositions needed to be a critical consumer of information.HS.60. Analyze an event, issue, problem, or phenomenon form varied or opposing perspectives or points of view.

CCSS Anchor Standards2. Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.4. Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.6. Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.7. Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words. 8. Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.

We the People Lesson ConnectionsMiddle School, Level 2

Unit 6, Lesson 29: What are the rights and responsibilities of citizenship? High School, Level 3

Unit 6, Lesson 38: What are the challenges of the participation of the United States in world affairs?