Homeless Education

Prior to 1987 more than 50% of homeless children were not being given a formal education on a regular basis. In that year Congress passed the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. This act enables all children, regardless of income or social status can get a good education. For this Act the government had to define clearly what "homeless" meant. Once that was established several things were put into place:

• Grants must be issued by the U.S. Secretary of Education to the states for the education of homeless children.
• The states are to make sure that all children have equal access to a suitable education and they must ensure that they can fulfill this obligation.
• Each state must have a "Office of Coordinator for Education of Homeless Children and Youths" who will oversee data collection, and activities for the homeless children in their state. This office is also to disperse funding to local agencies for the education of homeless children.
• In 1994 it was added that all homeless preschool children have the right to a free preschool program.
• Also in 1994 the school systems were to begin working with the housing authorities on these issues.

The No Child Left Behind Act directly affected the McKinney-Vento Act in the following ways:

• The definition of "homeless" was changed to take in children living with family members other than their parents or legal guardians. This also takes in those children that have had a loss of their housing, financial hard times, or other similar reasons.
• Homeless children are not to be segregated in anyway from other children in school.
• The schools have to provide transportation for the children no matter where they are coming from.
• If there arises a conflict about what school a child should go to, the parent chooses and the child attends that school until the conflict is resolved.
• Children should be placed where their needs are best met. They should be kept in their school of origin unless it is against the will of the parents.

The struggles of the homeless child are many. They deal with lack of nutrition, living conditions that can be sub-standard, lack of health care, transient living, and emotional stress. These issues away from school can cause struggles in their education. None of these obstacles is to big to overcome (educationally speaking) but the key is having the people in charge of our education system know the intricate details of what the children go through so that they are better able to get the resources together to help the children on an individual basis.

Disabled Students

In Spring of 1998 PBS did a segment on a family that had a non-verbal autistic son. He was school age at the time and these parents wanted this child integrated into a normal classroom. It started out this way and then the school made a fuss about things saying that he needed to be moved full time to the "special education" department of the school. The parents would not stand for it. They even sued the school and tried to get the Supreme Court to hear their case. This did not happen. However, this family took their son to another school that willingly gave him a full time aid and helps him be integrated into the classroom with his peers.

His aid made comments about the fact that this boy communicates in his own way but he does communicate. He also can do more than what the other school was asking of him. At the old school this autistic boy was given tasks that just whittled the time away but never really could have been called "education". He was simply stacking blocks and other tasks of similar nature. At his new school he goes along with his peers, follows along with reading assignments and more.

Prior to 1978 students with disabilities were completely segregated and put into special education programs without a thought. No one dreamed of integrating these children into a normal classroom. However, what has now been realized is that the students who are not disabled learn a lot in ways that are not so academic about acceptance, tolerance, and understanding. It doesn't hurt that we also see progress in the disabled student when they are integrated with their peer group.

State Boards of Education

When it comes down to it the whole education system is run by state governors, legislators, school officers and agencies and the state board of education. In this post we will focus on state boards of education as well as school officers and agencies. These are the key players in the education of those students in kindergarten through 12th grade. Each department and entity plays an important role in the education that our children receive.

Directly under state legislators is the state board of education. The function of this board is six fold.

1. Set the standards of certification and training that teachers and administrators must hold.
2. Set the standards of high school graduation requirements.
3. Set the criteria for which a school is accredited as well as the programs for preparing and training teachers and staff.
4. Completely build and implement the state testing of students.
5. Approve the budget of the state education agencies.
6. Make the rules and regulations for the implementation of state education programs.

How a state board for education is built is different in each state. The majority of states have appointed members of the board. However, there are states that elect their board members or they may use both elected and appointed members. In states with appointed numbers the appointment is usually made by the governor but not always. Minnesota and Wisconsin do not have state boards of education at all.

School Vouchers

One of the most controversial topics in education today has to be the subject of vouchers. The idea of public funds going to private school or parochial schools seems to push a hot button for many. Some may argue that this defeats the purpose of a "public" school system. Others see this as a way of providing a better education to many. The thought is that if competition is introduced into schools this will make the schools improve so that they receive the funding that they want.

A few states such as Arizona, Florida, Iowa, Minnesota and a few others have implemented either a tax credit or deduction while others have actually put in place a voucher system. Maine and Vermont also have a history with variations of the voucher system.

In 2002, the Supreme Court ruled that publicly funded vouchers did not go against the separation between church and state that we find in the Constitution. This ruling was in a case in Cleveland, Ohio. This solidified the federal stand on the publicly funded voucher system.

There is not a lot of hard data regarding the use of vouchers. The programs that are in place are relatively new and therefore the overall success and satisfaction for those involved goes unknown. There is a lot of research to be done before we see the effects of such programs.

Teacher Effectiveness and Evaluation

Many people are to oversee the level of teaching that goes on in our schools. States depend on great teacher preparation and then they must implement and support further professional development. It isn't enough for our teachers to just get a degree and then just continue teaching without further skills learned or being kept current on new teaching methods and ideas. States have the responsibility to make sure that their is plenty of teacher evaluation and then to have programs set in place to step in where a teacher lacks.

Everyone, including fine educators, has a difference of opinion about what makes a quality teacher. Not only should teachers have a thorough understanding of the topics they are teaching but of the best way to present these subjects for the needs of the children at their respective grade levels. Evaluation also must take into account the teachers relationship with students and their parents as well as their role in the school as a whole.

In years past a teachers performance was more based on their past performance. They were more judged on their courses taken, grades or scores received and other accolades rather than the quality of teaching that they perform daily in a classroom. Recent developments in evaluation have evolved to show what teachers actually do in the classroom.

Some policy makers want to attach a teachers salary and promotions to the student test results. There are other policy makers that will argue that a single test cannot possibly be the deciding factor for the quality of a teacher. Portfolios that take in an assessment of the teacher as a whole are becoming more and more popular.

There is a debate among policy makers about whether teachers should be held individually accountable for their effectiveness or if the school as a whole should be accountable. The fear with individual accountability is that if you attach school teacher salary or promotions to performance it can create a spirit of unhealthy competitiveness among teachers instead of a cohesive unit. Both sides have their pros and cons so it will be impossible to please everyone in this respect.

Brain Research

The brains most crucial development time is when you are a baby. The brain evolves rapidly and the environment in which it develops has a direct effect on the child emotional, social and intellectual development. We know that the years before preschool are vital to brain development.

Researchers once believed that a child's brain was complete when they were born. It was a common belief that genetics were the sole determining factor on intelligence and brain capacity. Modern research has proven this wrong and shown that the environment in which a child is raised had a direct influence on the development of the brain.

There are many outside influences that are known to have a negative impact on the brains development. Toxins, infection, malnutrition, exposure during pregnancy to drugs and premature birth have all been shown to have a negative impact on the development of the brain. Additionally abuse and neglect are also major factors in the capacity of a brains development. Much more is known about what holds the brain back developmentally than we know about what to do to boost brain development.

The first three years of life are the most crucial. In a setting where they are exposed to negative developmental factors a child born with a normal IQ may never achieve their full potential. One that is exposed to negative factors but experiences and intervention may be able to catch up their peers though with property intervention. This ability of the brain to be able to recover is very promising for children in less than ideal environments and shows us the importance of a healthy, nurturing environment for children. This is great news for those with learning disabilities because we know that the brain is flexible and can overcome delays. This is also great news for those with brain injuries because we know that we can help the brain overcome a lot of the trauma.

By the time a child is in kindergarten a lot can be done to intervene in the development of the brain. This, when done properly and with care, can help a child in school. We all know that if the child gets a great start in elementary school, they have a foundation for life. This starts in the womb and carries on for a lifetime.

Policy makers are faced with a difficult task, they must translate how to make brain research policies beneficial to children. Scientist have much more knowledge on how the brain develops than how to change or enhance it. This would lead one to think that public policy should focus on helping to eliminate the factors that inhibit brain growth such as biological and social conditions.

They cannot over stress the importance of those first crucial years though, lest it lead to neglect of the necessary environment in other times of development. Such as the importance of prenatal care when the brain is particularly vulnerable while first developing or during adolescence which is another time of significant growth.

Arts in Education

Increasing amounts of recent research show the importance of art in improving students achievements and getting them ready for a job in a world market that demands new and exciting solutions to ever more challenging issues. It is also shown to increase a students engagement in learning and both their social and civic development.

Studies have shown that the arts can have the following benefits on a learner.

• Improved performance of students that may be struggling.


• Continuously give already successful students new challenges.


• Provide job skills and sense of satisfaction to students who are incarcerated leading to a lower rate of second time offenders.


• Skills such as reading, writing and arithmetic are improved which helps with problem solving and critical thinking skills.


• Students become more involved in learning and their schools.


• Attendance has also been shown to improve.


• Creates stronger relationships between students and teachers.


• Allow the child grow creatively and foster curiosity.

Many states support Arts in Education programs and have made them requirements for graduation from high school and parts of standards and assessment tests. One of the pitfalls that art programs run into though is that they are often the first to feel the pain of budget constraints.

There is a growing movement though to keep these programs alive. One that rests on the premise that the purpose of education has a greater responsibility than to just teach basic subject matter. That the arts help students to become life time learners, creates more of a feeling of community, to appreciate other cultures and prepares a student for an ever evolving world.

Extended day programs

In this country today over 28 million parents work outside the home. It is estimated that some five to seven million children come home to an empty home after school, with the numbers topping out at fifteen million. Many areas have begun to address this by starting after school programs. These programs are designed to keep kids safe and out of trouble but also to keep them involved in activities that help them to learn.

Most people think that it is beneficial to a child to have a place to go after school that helps them develop learning skills and social behaviors in a safe environment. There are many different types of after school programs such as child care centers, tutoring centers, dance programs, sports clubs, drop in centers that are offered in conjunction with community facilities like libraries and recreational centers. There is no single cause for the success of these program, both the researchers and facilitators of the programs agree that in order for a program to be effective it must offer both academic enrichment and recreational activities.

Successful programs

• Set milestones for the children to reach


• Have staff that are qualified


• Have community partnerships


• Family involvement


• Learning environments


• Evaluation of program and success of activities

Children of low income families and between the ages of 5 and 9 have been shown to show the most benefit from these programs. Improved grades, better behavior and work habits are just a few of the things that have been noted.

Teens who are involved in programs like these are less likely to be involved in dangerous behavior and sustain better grades. But since these programs are not mandatory it may be that the more motivated students choose to attend the programs. Associating with these programs has also been linked to improved attendance in students.

State and Federal budgets for education, public safety, crime prevention and child care provide some of the funding for after school programs. Private companies are an additional source of support for after school programs. The majority of the support for these programs comes from the parents in the communities themselves.

Corrections Education

The United States currently has the largest prison population in the world. It is estimated that over 2.5 million people are incarcerated in the country today, compared to 1.5 million in 1995. When compared to America as a whole the education levels are considerably lower than the rest of the population. Only eighteen percent of Americans have not completed high school but in state and local systems that number is drastically different with over 40 percent of State and Local inmates not having graduated high school.

To help change these numbers over 90 percent of prisons and 60 percent of local jails have an educational program. Secondary and basic education programs being the most prevalent. Rates have decreased in the last two decades but the numbers themselves have increased with over 50 percent of inmates reporting participation. It was estimated that over 425,000 inmates were educated in prison in 1991 with that number increasing to over 600,000 by 1997.

Many states have started incentive programs to encourage prisoners to participate. Illinois grants 60 days off of a sentence for a prisoner who earns his high school diploma or receives their GED, West Virginia has since enacted similar legislature. While Arizona has removed the earned release credits for prisoners who fail to complete their diplomas while in custody.

There is still some argument as to the benefits of these programs. People in favor of them argue that it reduces the chances of repeat offenders and helps the inmate while trying to get back into the workforce. The largest complaint that people opposed to prisoner education have is that it is a waste of already strained resources.

Under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Federal funds are provided for the education of neglected and delinquent children under title I, part D. The goal of this is to provide students with the same education and resources and allow them to reach the academic standards expected of other children. Part D states that schools in the juvenile justice system must be assessed using many different means to measure students progress. States are required to use these numbers to evaluate the schools effectiveness and make improvements on their educational systems.

Early Learning

Every bit of research that you will find on early learning will tell you that this plays a major roll in the development of a child's brain. This includes cognitive, physical, emotional and social development. Because of these findings states are pushing for funding to help with early learning programs.

Early learning is more than just providing preschools. We have to incorporate the emotional and social needs of the children and meet these needs early on because they directly impact a persons life forever. Any kind of program won't do. Kids need high quality experiences that enrich their minds and lives.

Policy makers have a big job when it comes to early learning. They have to identify what needs the children have that need to be met. Considering that it may take many different agencies and/or departments to meet these needs the policy makers need to find a way for these agencies to work together seamlessly on behalf of the child. And it doesn't stop there. They then have to consider how this integrates into the early elementary education of the child. Will they just be cut off from some resources or will there be continuing care considering that early learning takes place for many years.

Schools are doing a lot to help these early learning efforts. Many offer all day kindergarten, have school counselors to help children cope with things going on at home or school that they need help with. The problem tends to be funding as well as focus. Schools need funding so that they expand and grow with the changing needs. They need funding to get high quality teachers and other employees that will make these programs shine. They also need the ability to be free of other extraneous issues so that they can focus on early learning. The importance of early learning cannot be expressed enough.

Remediation and What Schools Offer

Remediation by definition is the process in which you correct a fault or a deficiency. In education this term is commonly used in respect to learning disabilities. This is not to say that it only applies to those with big name disabilities but it even applies to the student that struggles in reading and needs extra help. No matter the severity of the need, remediation may help the student succeed.

States really hold all the control on what remedial coursework is offered to students. With the No Child Left Behind Act many states are taking a closer look at their remedial programs and what is offered in an attempt to help students resolve issues that they have in learning. In some schools these attempts are only made for those with reading problems while in other schools they offer remedial help for students struggling in a variety of subjects.

When it comes to remediation at the two year college or four year college time things are controversial. The proponents see the benefits of giving these students a second chance at being ready for college coursework while naysayers believe that this is "double dipping" as far as the funding for such programs.

Statistics show that 45% of those students that took two or more remedial courses graduated with at least an associates degree. Oddly, even with these statistics those students that received federal aid for college were limited to 4% allotted for remedial courses. As a side note, statistics show that those students that were given more challenging college prep coursework in high school were more likely to do better college regardless of their grades in high school.

Closing the Achievement Gap

There has been much discussion over the past forty years about the gap that separates underprivileged children and students of color from other students. This gap was narrowed quite a bit during the 1980's particularly between whites and blacks it has remained fairly constant since. Below the national average performance of minority students continues to be one of the most pressing problems facing America's educational system.

On average today's black or Hispanic high school student reaches a level on par with white students in the lowest 25 percentile. They are also much more likely to fall behind and drop out of school and their chances of graduation high school, continuing on to college or earn a median income are much reduced.

There are many factors believed to influence this, the students racial and economic background, the level of education which their parents achieved, The access to schooling that they had in their preschool days, the funding of the school which they attend, the quality of teachers and involvement in school activities.

A recent study has shown that only 11 percent of students families in the bottom fifth of the economy have gone on to earn college degrees while 53 percent of children from the top fifth have graduated college. Children of Middle income black families have a 50 percent chance to fall into the lower fifth while only 16 percent of whites fell into that category. Black children from the lower fifth of the country have a 19 percent chance to reach the top fifth with 62 percent joining the middle class or higher.

Affirmative Action

Affirmative Action refers to a company or institutions efforts to advance and improve the quality of life through employment or educational programs of minorities and women. There are many situations where these programs may be implemented.

Many people believe the affirmative action is needed in order to fix the negative effects of past discrimination against minorities and women. That there are benefits to society and educational institutions as a whole by creating an environment of diversification within the student body.

There are many people who argue against it though siting that it can increase prejudice and cause the gap between races to continue. That it is wrong to exclude white males who have higher grades and test scores to allow a minority or female with lower scores to be accepted. That students are accepted who are not qualified and may become demoralized by having to keep pace with more academically advanced students.

There are a few states that have begun to take affirmative action out of the higher education system such as California, Washington State and Florida. In 1996 California passed proposition 209 amending the states constitution to prohibit state colleges from giving preferential treatment to any applicant based on race, sex, color ethnicity or national origin. In 1998 Washington passed initiative 200 which outlawed using race or ethnicity when choosing which students to admit. In 1999 Florida completely banned the use of affirmative action for the selection of students to state universities.

In June of 2003 however the supreme court ruled that schools could in fact consider ethnicity when choosing which students to admit in order to foster a more divers culture within the student body.

Bilingual programs

The majority of Bilingual programs in place today are the result of of the Bilingual Education Act of 1968. It was passed as part of the Civil Rights Title VI which prohibits discrimination based on race, color or national origin in programs that receive federal funding. The act requires schools to provide equal educational opportunities for students that are a language minority. The office of civil rights is responsible for the enforcement of the act.

Students must be maintained in a program until they are able to read, write and comprehend English enough to actively participate in all aspects of the schools learning environment. Some of the most seen programs are:

• English as a Second Language - The focus of this program is to teach the students English. It generally includes very little of the students native tongue. It is often fit in as one of the students periods of instruction


• Transitional Bilingual Education - This program attempts to integrate the students native tongue into learning to different degrees. Its goal is to get the student up to speed enough to join their peers in regular classes.


• Dual-Language Immersion - This is where there are roughly an even mix of English and Non English speaking students. The classes alternate which language is used in order teach the students both languages.

It is difficult to assess the success of these programs due to students being exempted from state wide testing if they have been in the programs three years or less. Much recent legislation has been passed though that orders schools to evaluate the success of their programs and ensure that progress is made.

Progressive Education

Progressive education holds it's roots in the belief that students learn best though real-life activities. The educators that subscribe to this form of education say they go off of the most recent and best scientific theories of education and learning. These educators believe that students learn best by a process like John Dewey's model of learning which includes:

1. Realize the problem
2. Define the problem
3. Give ideas on how to solve the problem
4. Come up with the consequences that may occur based on one's own experience in the past
5. Put the most likely solution to the test

Basically you could say that progressive education is "learning by doing". That is a slogan often used by educators in this philosophy.

This method began in the late 19th century. The No Child Left Behind funding act has viewed this philosophy and alternative educational method compared to the test-oriented instruction.

Some of the things that progressive education programs may have in common are:

• Learning by doing or hands on learning (experiential learning)
• The curriculum is based on units with themes
• Focus is on problem solving and critical thinking
• Promotes teen work and social skills
• Prefers real understanding and ability to apply skills rather than rote knowledge
• Provides collaborative learning and cooperative learning projects
• Teaches social responsibility and democracy
• Uses the community in everyday curriculum
• May use text books but prefers a wide variety of learning resources
• Teaches that learning is a life long journey
• Focuses on the social skills of students
• Assessments consist of looking at a student's projects and actions

Between 1919 and 1955 the Progressive Education Association was founded by Stanwood Cobb and others. The founders did a lot of research during the years of the Great Depression that compared students of this method to those of conventional schools. What was found was that at the college level the students from the progressive method did just as well if not better than their peers from conventional education. The study also found that the more conventional schools strayed from the traditional education methods the better the students did overall.

Distance Learning

Distance learning is any form of education that is done anywhere but "on site". The U.S. Department of Agriculture states that distance learning "is a process to create and provide access to learning when the source of information and the learners are separated by time and distance, or both. Basically you can create an educational experience that is just as good as in a school with distance learning. If there is any time that the student has to appear at a bricks and mortar location for testing, or anything else having to do with the education, it is no longer considered distance learning but it is considered a hybrid or blended method of education. Because of the Internet and other technology advancements we are seeing a growing trend in distance learning.

When using today's technology there are different ways of categorizing the delivery method of the educational curriculum. When you have a group of people online at the same time as in a web conference or virtual classroom it is considered synchronous. When the curriculum is available online but not dependent on others to be involved at the same time it is considered asynchronous.

Forms of synchronous technology are: web based VoIP, video conferencing, web conferencing and telephone. Forms of asynchronous technology are CD/cassettes, email, message forums, printed materials including text books, voice mail, fax, DVD/videocassette.

Some schools offer 100% online education and online curriculum. Others may use correspondence through regular mail. There are also those that provide curriculum on DVD or CD-ROM, PC/Mobile learning, and radio or television. With technology there are no limits to what can be done from a distance.

Some of the benefits of distance learning are:

• Accessibility - if students can't attend a traditional schooling environment because of their location, career or other reasons this is a great option because you can never live too far away and you don't have to switch schools when you move.
• Life long learning - because of the ease of distance learning and how many it can reach it promotes life long learning.
• Exposure to new technology - those who take part in distance learning may be part of technology that otherwise they would not be exposed to.

Alternative Education

Alternative education can be defined as any form or method of education that is not traditional. This would include home education (homeschool), charter school, alternative schools, independent schools and more. Typically these education methods consist of small class sizes and good relationship between students and teachers.

Different scholars and philosophers have very contrasting ideas in what type of education is right. For example Ralph Wald Emerson and Henry David Thoreau (to name a few) were proponents of progressive education which is based in the belief that humans learn most when doing real-life activities. Educational innovators such as Maria Montessori believe that education is more of an emotional, physical, psychological and spiritual cultivation. There there are Anarchists such as Tolstoy who think education is a means to political endeavors like the eliminations of social classes.

There are many more theories that we could talk about but the bottom line is that there are many alternatives. Luckily, education is not one size fits all and most methods have some merit and can be great for students. This belief is on the rise and is evident in the fact that some districts let their be "school choice". For example, public schools can have magnet schools which focus in one particular area like performing arts or science.

Many alternative school methods were brought about in the 1970's to give options rather than traditional public school. Since then these alternative schools (many but not all of them) have become accredited schools with transferable credits. Some of these are for troubled teens that have had discipline or legal problems. In these particular schools they can offer more structure, sometimes in a residential fashion with strict rules and consequences for actions. There are times when teens are court ordered to attend such schools.

It is believed that with different options comes a higher retention rate which means fewer drop outs. The fact that schools can be varied as to meet the needs of the students benefits society as a whole.

Comprehensive School Reform

The Comprehensive School Reform program was started in 1998 as part of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act which became law in 2002. The program was started as one of the parts of the No Child Left Behind Act.

The goal of the program is to improve student achievement by using proven methods and strategies to create comprehensive school reform. It helps build upon and encourage state and local efforts to create higher standards and improvements in schools. The program aims to expand educational opportunities to allow all children to meet the new academic challenges and standards.

The school reform focuses on all aspects of education rather than trying to fix one small thing at a time. To qualify for funding the school must show a willingness to adopt to the 11 guidelines spelled out in the legislation. Which are:

• Employs proven methods and strategies based on scientific research.


• Integrates a comprehensive desing with aligned components.


• Provides ongoing, high-quality professional development for teachers and staff.


• Provides support for teachers, administrators and staff.


• Provides for meaningful parent and community involvement in planning, implementing and evaluating school improvement activities.


• Uses high quality external technical support and assistance from an external partner with experience and expertise in schoolwide reform and improvement.


• Plans for the evaluation of strategies for the implementation of school reforms and for teh student results achieved, annually.


• Identifies resources to support and sustain the school' comprehensive reform effort.


• Has been found to signifigantly improve the academic achievement of students or deomonstrates strong eveidence that it will improve the academic achievements of students.

The main focus of the program is to foster schoolwide change especially in schools where there is the greatest need for it. The funds are allocated for the schools that show the greatest need but also the greatest desire for improvement and the commitment to improving student achievement.

Continuing Education/Adult Learning

When we think of a state's responsibility to educate we most likely think of kindergarten through 12th grades. However, it does not stop there. The majority of state education funding is spent on K-12 however the state has programs to help those adults with high school diplomas and maybe even some college. These are often the people that go between low and middle classes throughout their lives. These are the people in society that get stuck in jobs that pay too little and don't advance. The states usually want to see this cycle break so that society improves overall.

According to the Workforce Investment Act of 1998: “The term ‘adult education’ means services or instruction below the postsecondary level for individuals (A) who have attained 16 years of age, (B) who are not enrolled or required to be enrolled in secondary school under State law, and (C) who (i) lack sufficient mastery of basic educational skills to enable the individuals to function effectively in society, (ii) do not have a secondary school diploma or its recognized equivalent, and have not achieved an equivalent level of education, or (iii) are unable to speak, read, or write the English language.”

Other areas of continuing education take in courses such as GED testing preparation and English education for those that speak other languages. Some states are even offering some job skill training because they see the need in society to provide further skills that allow people not only job placement but advancement and possible careers with good retirements.

As more studies are done states are realizing that education does in fact equal economic development. For this reason there are major focuses on literacy and job skill training.