The Local Control Of Education Act Essay

Even though the Declaration of Independence does not mention education, our founding fathers did value education. Illustrated by the ordinances they passed “in 1785 and 1787 that granted federal lands to states to create and support public school- an institution that the nation’s founders viewed as essential to democracy and national unification.” (Jennings, p3) In 1959, the admission of Alaska and Hawaii into the Union reconfirmed the Federal government’s support of education. Three distinct elements that impact education are; laws that have been passed, the removal of the church from public schools, and the role of federal government that has evolved and changed over the years. These three factors have transformed education over the

“The NCLB law­—which grew out of concern that the American education system was no longer internationally competitive­­—significantly increased the federal role in holding schools responsible for the academic progress of all students. And it put a special focus on ensuring that states and schools boost the performance of certain groups of students, such as English-language learners, students in special education, and poor and minority children, whose achievement, on average, trails their peers.” (Klein). In 1965, ESEA (Elementary and Secondary Education Act) was introduced by President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Great Society Program to create a clear understanding of the Federal Government in K-12 school policy, which provided more that $1 billion

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), brain child of President Johnson, was passed in 1965. ESEA was intended to mitigate disparities in access to quality academic services and learning outcomes endured by underprivileged and minority students by federally funding schools serving their communities. ESEA, later revised as No Child Left Behind, was to be one element in a larger reform agenda focused on urban redevelopment, vocational training and “EDUCATION AND HEALTH” (Thomas & Brady, 2005). In his 1965 State of the Union, Johnson proclaimed, “No longer will we tolerate widespread involuntary idleness, unnecessary human hardship and misery, the impoverishment of whole areas… ” Nevertheless, this intractable problem remains, as illustrated by recent National Assessment of Educational Progress findings:

Legally, one can argue that the state has jurisdiction, but the Department of Education has a great influence over the decision to adhere to its’ demands. Through funding, “the Department of Education has a significant amount of control over public education” (Underwood, n. d., p. 5). Aside from writing curriculum's using state and district standards, our curriculum's must now incorporate the common core standards. Our curricular, methods of teaching, and resources must be modified to address the common core standards, state standard, and district standards or one risks losing

While the ESEA made no requirements for core academic subjects, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), reauthorized the 1965 act. No significant academic criterion requirements were required federally under the NCLB. The act required each state to set their own standards for achievement in the standardized testing. NCLB did, however, emphasize core academics standards to include reading, language arts, math and science for assessment of all students to receive federal funds. In 2012, President Obama allotted NCLB waivers to states that agreed “to raise standards, improve accountability, and undertake essential reforms to improve teacher effectiveness,"(NCLB, Wikipedia, ref. 107). Alabama’s waiver initiated the states adoption of the international Core Curriculum along with their own Alabama College and Career Ready Standards which includes English Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Studies (ACCR, par.1). According to Alabama Board of Education superintendent Dr. Tommy Bice, “Incorporating the Common Core Standards into our already highly regarded content standards brings a new level of rigor and perceptual

Vouchers can either be downloaded from the canparent website to a computer or mobile phone, or paper vouchers are being distributed by children’s workforce professionals in the trial areas and vouchers can also be collected from Boots stores in the trial areas.

EDUC 512 Issue 1.5 Should Public Schooling be Redefined? Issue 2.6 Are Local School Boards Obsolete?

An outdated education system is the largest problem Michigan faces because it affects not only the present, but also the future of the state. Important issues cannot be solved, nor policies created to remedy them, if the people attempting to solve them are not equipped with the skills and knowledge needed to make informed decisions. The state cannot run itself, let alone the nation as a whole, if its’ people are uneducated. The Constitution, the very basis of our government, relies heavily on the assumption that citizens of the United States are able to make knowledgeable and well-reasoned decisions, the types of which cannot be made when a person does not receive a proper education. This proper education is unattainable when low

Oregon’s Compulsory Education Act was approved on November 7, 1922. This act mandated parents to enroll their children ranging from eight through 16 to public schools. Therefore, this caused parochial and private schools to lose their students; moreover, the organizations would also lose profit. Although the act would not go into effect until September 1, 1926, many parochial and private schools were already seeing withdraws. The plaintiff of the case was the Society of Sisters who had lots of religious and educational duties. The Society of Sisters argued that the act was unconstitutional because it denied the First Amendment freedom of religion. Also, the act prohibited parents and students to choose a school of their liking. In addition,

Furthermore Barack Obama wants the U.S. to be educated. Obama wants the U.S. to be the smartest country in the world. In order for that to happen there needs to be better education and the schools need to be in locations that will benefit the people who cannot afford to go to school. For example Obama is planning to evaluate the education of 7,000 colleges. Obama is doing this because he thinks that some colleges may be cheating their students by not giving them the full knowledge of the certain course.

The role of the federal government in setting education policy increased significantly with the passage by Congress of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, a sweeping education reform law that revised the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. "Federal policy has played a major role in supporting standards-based reform since the passage of the Improving America's Schools Act (IASA) of 1994. That law required states to establish challenging content and performance standards, implement assessments…hold school systems accountable…" (Goertz, 2005, pg. 73)

Donald Trump states, “Every child in America deserves a great education and an opportunity to achieve their dreams. We will enhance education options for students through school choice and charters, and respect homeschoolers in their quest for educational alternatives. We will also make it easier for families to afford college so students aren’t buried in debt.”

Educating students was not a major priority before the No Child Left Behind Act was passed in 2001.   Instead the government’s priority was to monitor how federal funds were spent  and there was no focus on utilizing federal funds to improve the education conditions that existed during that time (Guthrie et al, 2008).  In addition, federal government did not always have an interest in whether school systems were successful in raising academic performance for all students and therefore gave states the autonomy to make decisions about the educational needs of each school district.  The federal government provided land and other funding, but did not intrude on state’s rights to make decisions about curriculum in its schools  (Savage & Standerfer,

Education as defined by Merriam-Webster is a field of study that deals with the methods and problems of teaching and the action or process of teaching someone the knowledge, skill, and understanding especially in a school, college, or university (Merriam-Webster, 2015). Does gaining that knowledge, skill, and understanding translate into a U.S. Constitutional right of education? Nowhere in the Constitution does it state that education is a right (Constitution of the United States, 2015). However, every country that outperforms the U.S. has a constitutional or statutory commitment to this right. The U.S. scores below average in math and ranks 17th in the world, while it ranks 21st in science and 17th in reading (The Atlantic, 2013). Do Americans deserve an education with the guarantee of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness?

President Obama’s enfaces on the matter of the legal dropout age should be supported by all Americans. Education should be America’s top priority. State legislation giving permission for a child to not finish a high school education should be abolished. A high school diploma should be mandatory in all states. Education is the building block for a stronger country. If we hold our youth to lower expectations our country will continue to decrease in its rankings on education.