Education in America is such a big business, and the student population so massive, that any sort of Federal Plan is going to have different people seeing different things. Here is what I see from the President's new initiative, and it is very good news.
American children will no longer be judged solely on their ability to process information specific to a standardized test. They will be considered human beings again.
Students need a well-rounded education to contribute as citizens in our democracy and to thrive in a global economy – from literacy to mathematics, science, and technology to history, civics, foreign languages, the arts, financial literacy, and other subjects. We will support states, districts, school leaders, and teachers in implementing a more complete education.
That blockquote, and all the others in this diary, are taken directly from the DOE's Blueprint for Reform. I understand the instant outcry from groups such as the AFT, of which I am a member. The plan includes some tough talk about firing principals and teachers at low-performing schools. I see that as a neccesary evil included to help passage through Congress.
As an Art Teacher there are bold words that are much more important to me.
We will support the development and use of a new generation of assessments that are aligned with college- and career-ready standards, to better determine whether students have acquired the skills they need for success. New assessment systems will better capture higher-order skills, provide more accurate measures of student growth, and better inform classroom instruction to respond to academic needs.
I cannot express how completely and utterly No Child Left Behind has gutted the essence of a complete education in Florida. The FCAT test demoralizes students and teachers alike, and it totally debases the humanity that we are all born with. It is no longer important to express yourself in art or music. It has no consequence to your future if you are imaginative or clever. If you cannot score a 3 on the FCAT, you spend four years of high school with NO ELECTIVES WHATSOEVER. You are forced to spend all day in the subjects you dread, and your entire school career becomes an exercise in failure.
That's why I see this as good news. New models for assessment, focused on a complete education. That is the only way to stop this madness and allow our young people the opportunity they deserve. And, it looks like it will be funded.
To make higher standards meaningful, we must ensure that states, districts, schools, and teachers have the resources and assistance they need to help students reach these standards, such as instructional supports, high-quality professional development, and teaching and learning materials aligned with those standards. This means a new investment in improving teaching and learning in all content areas – from literacy to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to history, civics, foreign languages, the arts, financial literacy, environmental education, and other subjects – and in providing accelerated learning opportunities to more students to make postsecondary success more attainable.
To help more students in high-need schools receive a well-rounded education, our proposal will provide competitive grants to states, high-need districts, and nonprofit partners to strengthen the teaching and learning of arts, foreign languages, history and civics, financial literacy, environmental education, and other subjects.
Competitive grants will be awarded to states, school districts, and community-based organizations to leverage models that comprehensively redesign and expand the school day or year, provide full-service community schools, or provide services before school, after school, or during the summer. All programs will focus on improving student academic achievement in core academic subjects, ranging from English language arts, mathematics, and science, to history, the arts, and financial literacy, as part of a well-rounded education, and providing enrichment activities, which may include activities that improve mental and physical health, opportunities for experiential learning, and greater opportunities for families to actively and meaningfully engage in their children’s education.
Those three paragraphs were culled from different places in the document, because they shine a light on the bright new day dawning in America. The last paragraph actually calls "the arts" one of the "core academic subjects".
There can be no better news than that.