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| AAE Federal Update September 4, 2012 |
| posted by: Cindy Omlin | September 05, 2012, 12:14 AM |
|
Secretary Duncan Speaks to Teachers about New School Year As students and teachers begin a new school year, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan recently told a group of more than 800 teachers that "teaching is hard work." In setting the tone for the 2012-2013 academic year, Secretary Duncan challenged educators and commented that teaching has become more difficult as education reforms take hold in classrooms across the country. Duncan spoke frankly about the changes that teachers will face as states implement rigorous academic standards and introduce new evaluation systems. These changes are necessary, he noted, because nearly 25% of America's youth don't graduate from high school, and about half of all students who go to community college need remedial education. The Secretary explained how the Obama administration has promoted flexibility in states in exchange for raising standards, setting performance targets, and designing local interventions that focus closely on the neediest children through No Child Left Behind (NCLB) waivers. "We won't change those numbers without high standards and high expectations," Duncan said. Secretary Duncan also spoke about the ongoing conversation about teacher evaluation that now includes a full range of issues including teacher preparation, professional development, career ladders, tenure, and compensation. Click here to watch the full video of the speech. GOP Convention Highlights K-12 Education as a 2012 Election Issue With the Republican National Convention (RNC) in full swing last week, high-profile Republican leaders turned their attention to the growing education crisis in the United States. Never before have we seen this kind of attention given to education on a national stage. This renewed focus has signaled that education reform will be an emerging campaign issue in the months ahead. In fiery speeches, GOP leaders spoke about K-12 education by battering President Obama and teachers unions-as they called for a new direction in American education reform. By far the sharpest attacks in several long nights of speeches at the RNC came from New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, whose Tuesday night keynote speech attacked the educational establishment, especially national and state teacher unions. Christie said that in New Jersey, he defied naysayers by successfully taking on "the third rail of politics" to overhaul the public employee health and benefit system as well reform teacher tenure. Additional heated remarks came from former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, who argued that education is a key part of staying out of poverty. He stated, "A solid education should be [a key rung] on the ladder to success, but the system is failing. Obama's solution has been to deny parents choice, attack private schools, and nationalize curriculum and student loans." Senator Santorum stressed local control and called Governor Romney the right choice for President. "Mitt Romney believes that parents and the local community must be put in charge-not the Department of Education." Moving forward, it will be telling to see how President Obama will address education reform during the Democratic National Convention this week. Both candidates expect to discuss education during future presidential debates. Nearly 900 School Districts Set to Compete for New Race to Top Competitive Grants Click here for more information about the program. AAE, Education Reform Coalition Pen Letter Asking Administration to Hold Teacher Preparation Programs Accountable Originally posted by Alix at AAE.
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