“The nation’s schools have focused so intently on improving students’ math and reading skills that, in many cases, they have squeezed out other important subjects, such as social studies, science and the arts,” writes Emma Brown in Thursday’s (4/14) Washington Post. “That’s the message that U.S. Education Secretary John King Jr. plans to deliver during a speech … at an arts-focused school in Las Vegas … King plans to say that No Child Left Behind—the main federal education law that was signed in 2002 and required schools to show progress in math and reading test scores—had the unintentional consequence of narrowing the curriculum … No Child Left Behind’s successor—the Every Student Succeeds Act, passed in December—offers an opportunity for states and districts to create for themselves a more comprehensive definition for an excellent education…. Instead of measuring progress solely by math and reading test scores, for example, states will be able to include other indicators—such as students’ performance in other subjects…. ‘It’s a great chance to right the balance in places where the learning focus has become too narrow—and to do so in ways that expand, not dilute, civil rights,’ King plans to say.” To visit the League’s resources on arts and education, click here.
Posted April 15, 2016
