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| AAE Staff Attends Department of Education Inaugural Open House |
| posted by: Ruthie | January 22, 2013, 04:36 PM |
|
In honor of the 2013 Presidential Inauguration, AAE staff attended the U.S. Department of Education Open House last week. The event was hosted by Department of Education staff and was conducted in an effort to engage the education community and showcase various goals for President Obama's second term. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan began by stating to the crowd, "This term we are not looking to what we can do that changes education for the next four years, but what will change education for the next four decades." With this tenacious aspiration in mind, Secretary Duncan preceded to outline the main initiatives of the Obama administration's second term. The first goal was to navigate and dissipate school violence nationwide. While Duncan acknowledged it will take a more aggressive approach to gun control, he expressed hopeful determination that schools will be safer environments in a few years. The second goal was to widen education's scope, making it a "cradle to career" endeavor. The administration plans to invest significant funding into early childhood education programs. Further, the secretary conceded that changes in assessments and implementation of Common Core State Standards (CCSS) will make goal implementation "bumpy." However, despite the difficulty, Secretary Duncan lauded the innovative change and improvements CCSS would bring to education. "For the first time, students across the country, whether in Massachusetts or Mississippi, will be held to the same high bar of achievement." The third goal was to connect K-12 education to higher education, graduating students with greater career and college readiness. Currently, an astounding 40% of undergraduates are not ready for post-secondary education. Secretary Duncan expressed the need for an increased effort to better prepare students for college and post-secondary education, and ensure that every student goes to at least one year of post-secondary school. Lastly, Duncan's final goal was to raise the bar for the teaching profession, ensuring quality teachers. "Great teachers are the key to the future of education," Duncan affirmed. In the vein of increasing standards of teaching professionals and ensuring effective teachers, the Department of Education is launching the RESPECT Project (Recognizing Educational Success, Professional Excellence, and Collaborative Teaching). By spurring dialogue and collaboration regarding the teaching profession, both teachers and students will be impelled to high achievement. Overall, the Department of Education plans to continue its focus on education reform and various projects to increase federal funding. What do you think about Secretary Duncan's goals? Comment below.
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