Poplar School District

1. Poplar School District Education Report Fall 2012

2. Poplar School District Historical Perspective United States Constitution Tenth Amendment The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.

3. Poplar School District Historical Perspective In the United States freedom of education is not explicitly granted by the constitution; but has been found to be part of the “liberty of citizens of the United States”, which the Constitution protects, in several Supreme Court decisions, e.g. Meyer v. Nebraska (1923), Pierce v. Society of Sisters (1925) and Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)

4. Poplar School District Historical Perspective Two Major Events Changed Educational Groundwork December 7, 1941 – Pearl Harbor – Led the nation to a realization of a global connection and then a push after the war for educational opportunities strengthening the American college and university system. October 5, 1957 – Successful launching of the Soviet space craft, Sputnik.

5. Poplar School District Historical Perspective 1958 NDEA – National Defense Education Act Primarily instituted to stimulate the advancement of education in science, mathematics and modern foreign languages.

6. Poplar School District Historical Perspective 1965 ESEA – Elementary and Secondary Education Act Extensive allocation of funds for primary and secondary education for professional development, instructional materials, resources to support educational programs, and parental involvement promotion. A five year act that has continually been re-authorized.

7. Poplar School District Historical Perspective 1982 Blue Ribbon Schools Program A school recognition program that assesses strengths and weaknesses in schools that then put forth a plan for improvement towards achieving National Education Goals.

8. Poplar School District Historical Perspective 1983 A Nation At Risk – National Commission on Excellence in Education Our nation is at risk … the educational foundations of our society are presently being eroded by a rising tide of mediocrity that threatens our very future as a Nation and a people … If an unfriendly foreign power had attempted to impose on America the mediocre educational performance that exists today, we might well have viewed it as an act of war.

9. Poplar School District Historical Perspective 1983 A Nation At Risk 23 million adults were functionally illiterate 13 percent of 17-year olds were functionally illiterate 40 percent of minority children were functionally illiterate Only 30 percent of high school students could solve multi-step mathematics problems Only 20 percent of high school students could write a persuasive essay

10. Poplar School District Historical Perspective 1983 A Nation At Risk In American High Schools Grades have risen as academic achievement has declined Secondary school education has been homogenized, diluted, and diffused to the point that it has no central purpose… “We have a cafeteria-style curriculum in which appetizers and desserts can be easily mistaken for the main course”

11. Poplar School District Historical Perspective 1983 A Nation At Risk Recommendations Strengthen high school graduation requirements for all students Adopt higher, measurable standards of academic performance Increase time devoted to learning Raise standards for teachers

12. Poplar School District Historical Perspective 1988 NAEP – National Assessment of Educational Progress Nation’s Report Card – Establishment of a Governing Board to gather statistics on student assessments in reading, mathematics, science, writing, US history, civics, geography, and the arts.

13. Poplar School District Historical Perspective 1994 IASA – Improving America’s Schools Act Title 1 program providing extra help to disadvantaged students and holding schools accountable for their results Charter schools Safe and drug-free schools Eisenhower professional development Increased funding for bilingual and immigrant education Educational Technology

14. Poplar School District Historical Perspective 2000 – Kort Task Force of the Hoover Institute of Stanford University follow up report on A Nation At Risk Since the National Commission published A Nation At Risk, nearly two generations of students passed through US schools. Real per pupil spending has risen by 50 percent. Twenty years of entering first graders – about 80 million children – have walked into school where they have scant chance of learning much more than the youngsters in 1983.

15. Poplar School District Historical Perspective 2000 – Kort Task Force Education outcomes have not improved since 1970 Achievement gaps have not narrowed. Problems that affect disadvantaged children have not been addressed. Higher-quality teachers are key to improving schools. The appropriate gauge of teacher quality is classroom effectiveness. Standards-based reforms have not achieved their potential Choice based reforms have not been given a fair test. Elementary and middle schools need to be reformed Americans need timely, accurate information about student performance.

16. Poplar School District Historical Perspective 2001 NCLB – No Child Left Behind Act (Reauthorization of the ESEA) Accountability Clear Goals Accurate Measures Consequences School Choice Transparency

17. Poplar School District Historical Perspective 2001 - NCLB Accountability – Children, teachers, schools and school districts need to know what they must produce, how progress will be measured, and what will happen if they do not attain the desired results. Clear Goals – Every state needs to adopt challenging academic standards and curricular guidelines, subject by subject, and grade by grade. Accurate Measures – Every state needs to use tests and assessments that accurately measure the performance of children, schools and school systems in relation to its standards. Consequences – Every state needs to develop an accountability system in which the consequences fall on responsible adults. Success should be rewarded. Failing schools should be closed, reconstituted, or taken over.

18. Poplar School District Historical Perspective 2001 – NCLB School Choice – Parents, not bureaucrats, should make decisions about the education of their children. Transparency – Information systems need to provide full transparency in public education

19. Poplar School District Historical Perspective 2001 – NCLB No Child Left Behind requires schools to teach all children to proficiency in reading, math and science by 2014. The key requirements of the law – annual proficiency tests in grades 3-8, highly qualified teachers in every classroom, research-based instruction, increased parental rights, public school choice, and state, district and school report cards – are strategies to accomplish this goal.

20. Poplar School District AMO – Annual Measurable Objectives AYP – Adequate Yearly Progress HQT – Highly Qualified Teachers Other Acronyms FAPE – Free and Appropriate Public Education IDEA – Individuals with Disabilities Education Act FERPA – Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act

21. Poplar School District AYP Designations - Meaning of Dis-aggregations Adequate Yearly Progress Watch List In Need of Improvement Year One Year Two Year Three Year Four Year Five In Need of Improvement – Hold High Achieving – Growth High Achieving – Status Exemplary