The First Battle in the War for Equity: Children Left Behind
In my last post, I discussed the east-west division in quality education in the state of Washington. Though this is a glaring issue and a microcosm of a national trend, my experience and research since I became interested in education policy is centered on the western half of the state, particularly in King County, and most specifically in my home district: Lake Washington School District (LWSD). When I discussed the stereotypes of western Washington, I was primarily describing trends from the Seattle area, encompassed within King County, which has become the home of thousands of immigrants, numerous tech giants, and some of the highest quality schools on the west coast (public and private).
Amid this growth, the education system in the area has undergone rapid changes to keep pace with rapidly changing culture and demographics. The culture of the area became very competitive, and “helicopter parenting” became the new norm. Though that term typically has a negative connotation, what it ultimately means is that parents care a LOT about their kids. Thus, school boards were bombarded by parent advocates to ensure students to get the best possible education, with superb teachers and cutting edge programs. But the programs for which those parent advocates fight are dependent upon the needs of the student. The way it worked out, two phases took place to increase the opportunities of students and a third phase is currently underway. In this post, I will stick only to the first phase that took place, leaving the second and third to future posts. Stay tuned.
The first phase commenced right before I entered kindergarten. The year was 2002, and the Bush Administration had just passed the No Child Left Behind Act. Discussions of education at the time centered around how schools could raise up the students who were “left behind” and bring them up to proficiency levels on test scores. The effects of this mentality, dialogue, and policy were felt directly by the LWSD and exacerbated by the rapidly changing culture of the area. So began a movement oriented around increasing the support for ESL students, low-income students, and those with special needs, including learning or behavioral disorders. In general, parents of the latter group led the charge. The result? Before and after school programs were expanded to increase support for low-income students, and special needs and ESL students saw a greater incorporation into standard classes. The policies of NCLB were in full swing.
Unfortunately, Washington once again served as a microcosm of the events that followed on a national scale. Minor improvements in test scores were made, teachers faced impossible goals, and the achievement gap hardly budged. It was time for phase two to begin.
To be continued…
