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2005 APF & Business Meeting AGENDA (PDF file)
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Contents:
High School Redsign and 21st Century Learning
Advancing High School Reform in the States: Policies and Programs (2005, Introduction). This report by The National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), supported by the KnowledgeWorks Foundation, provides recommendations for state and federal education policy. The recommendations reflect the reform strategies outlined in Breaking Ranks II: Strategies for Leading High School Reform, NASSP’s guide to high school reform, and focus on specific curricular or structural changes that need federal and state policies and programs in place to support school-level implementation and capacity. The introduction to the document is provided in this section.
Action Agenda for Improving America’s High School
(2005). This Action Agenda is an outcome of the 2005 National Education Summit held by the National Governor’s Association and Achieve, Inc. The Action Agenda proposes that states ensure that all high school graduates are prepared for postsecondary education and work by taking the actions outlined in the matrix.
Getting It Done: Ten Steps to a State Action Agenda (2005). This statement was developed as part of Governor Warner’s (D-VA) initiative as chairman of the National Governors Association to serve as guidance for states to enact system wide reform of high schools.
Expectations for 21st Century Schools (2005). CCSSO’s 2005 CEO-CEO Exchange focused on how state school leaders and CCSSO can take the lead in helping the education community and the wider public find paths to making public schools more responsive to the needs and demands of a changing world. This proceedings document describes the conversations that took place at the event among a cross section of chief state school officers and leaders in business, government, the military, research, and policy analysis
21st Century Skills and High School Reform (2005). The Partnership for 21st Century Skills is currently deliberating a position statement on high school reform. While the statement is not finalized, the draft document provides a framework for the connection between 21st century learning requirements and high school redesign.
Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act/No Child Left Behind
AFT Follows Separate Path in Changing Law (2005). In May 2005, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) launched an education and advocacy campaign, "NCLB—Let's Get It Right." This Education Week article describes the AFT campaign and compares its strategies with those used by the National Education Association. While the AFT contends they are not waiting for NCLB reauthorization to propose changes to the law, their campaign continues to position AFT as an organization to be reckoned with in reauthorization deliberations.
From the Capitol to the Classroom: Year 3 of the No Child Left Behind Act (Introduction 2005). The Center on Education Policy has analyzed the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act since its inception. The Summary provides an overview of their most recent report:
Since 2002, the Center on Education Policy, an independent nonprofit organization, has been studying federal, state, and local implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act. This is our third annual report of the most comprehensive, long-term national study of the Act….
At this point in NCLB implementation, we see early signs of some positive effects, but we also see clear warning signs of problems that could undermine the future success of the law if not addressed.
The Future Federal Role: Observations and Ideas (2004). In the concluding chapter of his book Political Education, Christopher T. Cross analyzes NCLB and the landscape for future federal legislation. This background reading puts NCLB into a broader context that may be useful when deliberating overarching principles to guide NCLB reauthorization strategies.
The Next Stage for Large Scale Reform in England: From Good to Great (2002). Michael Barber details the education reforms of the Labour Party in the United Kingdom. The theme of the reforms is “High Challenge: High Support.” The evolution of education reform in the United Kingdom has followed a path similar to those in the United States, and provides a nice framework for understanding educationally sound policy.
State and National Data Systems
State Education Data Systems that Increase Learning and Improve Accountability (June 2004). This background document by Learning Point Associates reviews how data can be collected, housed, analyzed, accessed, and used better than before. The publication’s “Issue Overview” provides an abstract:
Driven by growing accountability pressures, states and districts have invested in a variety of computerized systems for data storage, analysis, and reporting. As accountability policies demand access to more transparent and accurate data about every aspect of the education process, developing linkages among historically disparate systems is becoming more critical.
This edition of Policy Issues reviews the current condition of state data systems by looking critically at the past, present, and future of education data use to help build an understanding of an ideal data system. This paper examines the components needed to address system improvements and provides policy recommendations to help states create efficient and useful data systems that commit to advancing accountability systems to improve student learning.