Education Policy

Test your knowledge! Match the politician to the quote. (Answers below!)

While still almost 18 months away, it’s already starting to feel like election season. As politicians announce their candidacy and begin shaping or establishing their platforms on foreign policy and the economy, we decided to take a look at their stances on education. From the Common Core to school choice and everything in between, these presidential hopefuls are making their opinions heard on stumps around the country. To get you acquainted with the potential Commanders in Chief, we pulled a quote from each of the announced candidates as of June 25. Now it’s your turn to match the 17 announced candidates to their quotes.

Presidential Candidates (with a randomly assigned letter):

• A. G…

On June 4th, Washington D.C.’s Woodrow Wilson High School celebrated their second annual LGBT pride event. This year’s event came with a special twist as principal Peter Cahall came out of the closet. He said, “If I was going to stand in front of these kids today celebrating our pride and saying, you can be who you are, I would be a hypocrite if I decided to hide.” In an effort to help all students feel valuable and included, Cahall decided to promote a school environment that is the antithesis of the one that he grew up in—one that supports and celebrates diversity rather than punishes students for being different.

As we ide…

For Career and Technical Education, also known as CTE, 2013 was a big year. According to Education Week, all 50 states were surveyed. In 2013 alone, 78 major policies were enacted or changed in order to expand career and technical education. With the Common Core Standards now widely adopted, states are pushing for programs that promote college and career readiness, so CTE certainly fits that bill. If current students are to be future competitors in a global marketplace, they need to be highly skilled.

EDUCATION COMMISSION OF THE STATES REPORT

According to the report, “Career and …

Early reports are showing that common core field assessments are going pretty smoothly with just a few technological issues and some concerns over the difficulty of new assessments. According to Education Week, the majority of states that have adopted the Common Core Standards are using assessments developed by two organizations — the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) and the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC).

SMARTER BALANCED ASSESSMENT CONSORTIUM (SBAC)

Currently, there are 22 states signed up to take the SBAC assessments, including California, North Carolina and Connecticut. Field tests began March 22 and will continue through June 13, with 21 states participating. Over 3 million student…

In response to the obesity epidemic, many U.S. schools are increasing nutrition education, revamping physical education programs and offering healthier lunch menu options. Every two years, elementary students in California’s Chula Vista school district step on a scale and have their weights and heights measured. Meanwhile, a technician at a remote location collects the data and calculates students’ body mass indexes (BMI). According to Education News, this practice is referred to as “surveillance activity,” and schools across the nation are following suit because of growing concerns over childhood obesity, which can lead to more serious health issues like diabetes and heart conditions. Of the 25,000 students who were weighed and measu…