Please take a moment to view the below featured video highlighting Secretary Duncan's answers to two constituents' questions.
The first relates to the overreliance on high-stakes testing which Duncan sees as one of the major problems stemming from NCLB. Luckily, he says the waiver process has allowed states to bring about tremendous innovation in response to the opportunity for more flexibility with curriculum and student success measures. Waiver applicants, he says, are focusing on lowering dropout rates, increasing graduation rates and altogether providing a more holistic approach to closing achievement gaps.
In addition, the second question referenced the trend to emphasize educator accountability. Duncan expressed his support of the idea of "360-accountability," where not just teachers, but also students and parents are also held accountable for their [children's] education. One new example of this notion, which Duncan mentions in his response, is the "Parent Scorecard" from Tennessee, which is meant to evaluate a parent's impact on a student's achievement.
Ultimately, Duncan says, "All of us have a stake in getting the country where we need to go. Every single child deserves a world class education."
Comments
No one has commented yet.