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Dan French.
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Question 2 was voted down by a wide margin on November 8th, but now is not the time to become complacent. Moving forward, we need to work harder than ever to ensure that our public schools are equity-minded spaces for all children.
Through more than 20 years of No Child Left Behind, we have lived with a uniform definition of accountability, that of a standardized test used to make determinations of student learning and school and district progress. It is time to question some of the assumptions underlying this practice.
Our public schools are a microcosm of the larger society around us. Too often, we as educators try to fend off the outside chatter and focus on the academic work at hand. Dan discusses the important role educators place in creating a counter-narrative to what many of our students are experiencing every day in the world around them, as well as a safe space for them to talk about and make sense of these experiences.
“College and career ready” is the clarion call of today’s education policymakers. Yet, there is something that is missing – the higher purpose for public education, that of preparing all of our students to become active, contributing citizens in creating a just and equitable world. “Every addition to true knowledge is an addition to human power.” - Horace Mann
Think about a powerful learning experience in which the metaphorical light bulb went on, an “aha” moment. Now think about the qualities or characteristics that made that learning experience powerful. Almost always, it is something someone is passionate about, they chose to do it. In fostering student agency, we as educators need to be prepared to listen and connect to students’ personal experiences in engaging with the world.
A review of key findings and recommendations from two research studies that highlight the importance of incorporating personalized learning opportunities, in which students can see and experience their own culture and language, into our schools and classrooms.
Learn how three in-district pilot schools are serving as beacons of what we should aspire to create: a new generation of personalized, equity-minded schools designed to effectively serve each and every student who walks through their doors.