Essay on austin educationalissues - 1652 Words

Current Issues in Education Debra Austin EDL 807/History and Politics of K-12 Education October 22, 2014 Current Issues in Education Introduction There are a number of critical issues and controversies in K-12 education today. While there is always room for improvement, the federal and state education departments are continuously developing plans and mandates to make necessary changes. In America, education is available to all, no matter ability or disability or socioeconomic status. The public education system in the United States allows people of diverse backgrounds to come together. However, the educational system in America also suffers many problems, and some believe the quality of education is declining. It is†¦show more content†¦High stakes testing is still utilized based on standards taught, but the curriculum is aligned throughout the United States, knows as the Common Core Standards. The Common Core standards are based on continuous improvement practices designed to meet more rigorous expectations through meaningful learning (Darling-Hammond, Wilhoit, and Pittenger, 2014). The government has hopes that the failures of high stakes testing in the past will be replaced with high quality assessments aligned to the common core curriculum. These assessments not only include state-designed tests for achievement, but also projects and performance assessments in the classroom throughout the school year. Student learning is infused with technology in performance assessments, and these assessments are used to drive instruction through the year. Because performance assessments are embedded in technology and require students to perform tasks rather than just take a test, the pressure of high stakes testing is somewhat alleviated (Darling-Hammond, Wilhoit, and Pittenger, 2014). The Common Core curriculum also has a set of standards for educators to follow. These standards set the bar for lesson preparation, delivery, and student support. Teachers facilitate the guided learning of students so that they become deeper thinkers achieving more than simply memorizing knowledge based facts. Because the f ocus is on