The Bush Administration’s budget proposal for education is available online. For those concerned about civic learning, here are two key points:
The budget is somewhat ambiguous about how to reform secondary education. On one hand, the title of the relevant subhead is “Finishing the Job: Bringing NCLB to High Schools,” and money is earmarked for mandatory “testing in grades 9?11 in language arts and math.” On the other hand, the following passage implies some flexibility:
This initiative provides $1.2 billion to help States implement a high school accountability framework and a wide range of effective interventions. In return for a commitment to improve academic achievement and graduation rates for secondary school students, States will receive the flexibility to choose which intervention strategies will be most effective in serving the needs of their at-risk high school students. Allowable activities would include vocational education programs, mentoring programs, and partnerships between high schools and colleges, among other approaches. A portion of the funding will be used for randomized trials and evaluations to identify the most effective intervention strategies to enable school administrators to make better choices on what educational strategies to adopt.”
I read this as a negotiated statement. Those who simply want high-stakes testing to be expanded through the 12th grade probably have the upper hand, but they have made some room for people who see other ways to reform high schools.
[cross-posted from the CMS Community blog]
the president’s budget and civic education
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