“Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve”              Napoleon Hill

 

 

 

That is a question, we should all ask ourselves!  In my opinion, that responsibility falls on everyone–federal government, state government, parents, and students themselves.

We know that when citizens are educated and prepared to meet the demands of tomorrow’s job market, then society as a whole benefits.  Our young people today are those citizens who will contribute to the future growth of America’s economy.  For that reason, it behooves all of us to be concern about their growth and development.  With that said, we will take a brief look at what is currently being done and what possibly can be done to help our young people be all they can be.

 

What Is The Federal Government Doing?

For years the federal government has taken an active role in the U.S. educational system.  That role has included providing monetary funding, passing laws to assure all citizens had access to an education (regardless of race, gender, disability),  promoting and enhancing post secondary education, etc.  The United States’s K-12 educational system has been greatly shaped and influenced through federal intervention.

In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) as a component to his “War on Poverty”.  The purpose of this act was to assure that all students, regardless of socioeconomic status, had access to a quality education.    ESEA was originally authorized through 1965 but the federal government has re-authorized the act every five years since it was originally passed.

The re-authorization of ESEA that we are so familiar with and that public schools have operated under since 2002 is No Child Left Behind (NCLB).  It was signed into law by President George W, Bush on January 8, 2002.  You may also be familiar with the fact that NCLB was very unpopular with educators, parents and some government official.  The premise of the law was the same as that of ESEA –i.e. making sure that every child in the United States gained a quality education that prepared them for college and the work world.  The unpopularity of the law steamed from the fact that NCLB allowed the federal government ( via the U.S. Department of Education) to set accountability standards for public schools, school districts and teachers.  Under the law, the evaluation of schools and teachers performance was based on how well students scored on standardized test.  NCLB also gave the federal government the authority to impose corrective and punitive actions for schools not showing “Adequate Yearly Progress” in student test scores.

President Obama and his administration wanted to correct this and place control back in the hands of each state’s Department of Education.  As a result, on December 10, 2015, President Obama signed the Every Student Succeed Act  (ESSA) as his re-authorization of the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).  What ESSA does is eliminates and replaces NCLB.  President Obama has made it clear that his purpose with ESSA is to continue to build on what was right with NCLB, and that is assuring that every child receives a quality education and also maintaining an accountability system that will measure students progress.   If you missed the signing of ESSA and what President Obama had to say regarding this bill, I have included it below for your viewing.

Some of the Provision of ESSA are as follows:

• The federal government’s punitive consequences for schools and subsequent teacher evaluation associated with student test performance has been eliminated.
• Each state’s Department of Education will be responsible for creating it’s own accountability system to evaluate schools and teacher performance.
• Each state’s Department of Education has to develop the methods they will use to improve schools that may be performing below standards.
• States will be required to submit their plan (school accountability/corrective actions) to the U.S. Department of Education for a “peer review” to ensure they are meeting the requirements of the ESSA bill.
• Every Student Succeed Act (ESSA) does maintain that paraprofessional (such as teacher’s aide, substitute teachers, etc.) certification remain intact to prevent school districts from hiring paraprofessionals with little or no educational experience or professional training.
• ESSA does not eliminate testing of students to determine their academic progress.   It does give states control over how and when students are tested.
• ESSA does require that two tests (one in reading/language art and one in math) be given to each student per year in grades 3 through 8 and once in high school.  It also requires that each student be given a science test three times between grades 3 and 12.
• ESSA makes provisions so that students who are classified as homeless have access to all services provided by the state and school district  (charter school, magnate schools, summer school, advanced placement courses, etc.)
• ESSA ensures that federal funds can be used for Early Childhood Education.
• ESSA provides a separate funding stream (Title III) to educate English Learners (such as immigrant students) so they can develop proficiency in the English language and meet the same academic standards that all students are expected to meet.
• ESSA still makes federal funds available to improve low performing schools that have been identified by the state’s accountability system.

The timeline for implementation of ESSA varies as it relates to the different phases and actions required under the act.  All in all, full implementation of ESSA should occur at the beginning of the 2017-2018 school year.

 

What Is The State Government Doing?

Each state will now be responsible for implementing all of the provisions under ESSA.   In addition, education officials and governors from 48 states came together to develop their own program which addresses educating and preparing students so they are ready beyond high school for entrance into college and/or the work world.  The program developed by these state officials is what is know as Common Core Standards.   ESSA and Common Core are two different programs but they can be implemented in conjunction with one another if a state so chooses.  ESSA does not require any states to implement Common Core.  Forty-two states, the District of Columbia and four territories have implemented Common Core Standards in their public schools.

Common Core standards were developed to identify what students, across the United States, should know and be able to do at each grade level.  The standards are consistent across the U.S.  so  whether a child lives in Mississippi or New York, they will be able to have the same educational skills at each grade level in English/ Language Art and Mathematics.   Common Core Standards are said to help students develop the critical-thinking, problem-solving and analytical skills they will need to be successful in the technologically- driven and global work environment they will be thrust into.

 

What Can Parents Do?

Parents have the largest role of all in preparing children to be all they can be—and rightfully so.  When you became a parent, you were given the awesome opportunity to influence and mold another individual from birth to adulthood.  What you do with that opportunity will make all the difference in your child’s life.

A parent’s role in a child’s educational process is one of extreme importance.  Government officials, school districts and teachers can attempt to implement as many programs as possible to educate our children but unless a student comes to school with their mind set toward learning, then all of the programs and initiatives are to no avail.

That is where parents come into play.  Even before a child enters school (preschool/kindergarten), parents can do a lot to shape that child’s  attitude toward education.  Some of the things parents can do  are:

• teach their child kindness and politeness toward others
• teach their child respect toward adults and authority figures
• teach their child basic literary skills by reading to them
• help their child learn their ABC’s and123’s
• utilize educational resources (such as TV for Sesame Street and Reading Rainbow and educational tools) to help their child learn
• teach their child proper behavior standards so they know what is  expected of them when you are not around.

In Proverbs 22:6 it states that if we train a child in the way they should go, then when they get older, they will not depart from it.  Whether you are religious or not, as a parent you can gain some wisdom from that verse in Proverbs.  The key point here is that we have to train a child, which is going to require our time, energy and our resources.

It is not the school’s or teacher’s job to train (raise) your child.  That is the job of parents.  It is the school’s job to academically educate your child.  In doing so they need parents as an ally with them.

As I prepare for each of my posts, I search out organizations, events, and competitions that young people can participate in.  For this particular post, I ran across the Intel Science Competition, which just announced their winners on March 15, 2016.  This is a  competition that is  opened to all high school seniors throughout the United States.    As I looked at the participants, my question was why is it that certain students can successfully compete and win these events and others can’t .  Then I remembered something I read in a book entitled “Battle Hymn Of The Tiger Mother” by Amy Chua.  Ms. Chua is of Chinese descent and what I concluded from her book is that parents from her culture:

• push their children toward excellence
• make education a priority in their homes
• set high expectations for their children and make their children aware of those expectations
• raise their children and they don’t allow their children to raise them.

Parents, think about what you would be doing for your children if you Push Them Toward Excellence!

 

Intel Science Competition

I have included a presentation of the Intel Science Competition below.  This is the competition that  President George H.W. Bush called the “Super Bowl of Science Competition”.  Parents as you take a look, think about whether or not this is a competition you would like to see your child participate in.  If it is, then think about what may be holding them from doing so.

You can get more information at STS .  You can also see a list of the 2016 finalist at intelfinalists.