According to the National Assessment of Education Progress for the year 2000, 32% of 4th graders were at or above the proficient reading level nationally, with 24% in Alabama.
Public education is at a critical crossroad throughout the nation. For this reason, it is an important time to be informed and involved in the education process.
President Bush is pushing for the goal of "no child left behind" in his 2002 plan for education reform. Standards for education reform, however, are nothing new. Most people across the country agree that public schools should be held accountable to values of quality and equity. But are standards enough to change troubled school systems? History has taught us many lessons on how to address this problem.
The current wave of education reform gained the most definitive momentum during the early 1980s. The National Commission on Excellence in Education published a report entitled, "A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform." This highly publicized and critical report on the state of public education in America brought education into a spotlight that has not diminished over the past twenty years.
The initial reaction to the report was to strengthen regulation regarding standardized testing and teaching professionalism. For example, states increased their graduation requirements and issued more standardized tests. In essence, schools attempted to address reform across the board. However, after a decade of such responses, it seemed as if the state of education was getting worse. This was particularly true of urban area school systems in which the downturn in the economy seemed to be having a devastating effect.
Throughout, many changing variables and a few trends remained consistent. First, the success of public schools goes beyond the doors of the schools into the neighborhoods, the business community, and the political arena. Second, cities across the country have proven the powerful impact that community involvement has on public education. Also, related to that is the negative impact when communities are inactive.
Forty-nine states have established statewide curriculum or standards in some form. Even so, educators and policy makers are beginning to realize that standards alone are not enough. In countless cities across the nation, research has demonstrated that true and effective public education reform can be achieved and sustained only if there is consistent public engagement in the education policy. Since standards for public schools have become a national agenda, many have raised the issue of accountability. While the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 focuses on raising academic standards and closing the achievement gap is clear, the new law leaves many critical choices to the states. Therefore, accountability has become a major concern for members of local communities. In order to hold your school accountable, here are five major points to consider:
As changes in education sweep the nation, it is an excellent time for everyone to learn more about the education process. If the state can make the grade, then fewer children will be left behind.