Opinion
Federal Letter to the Editor

Citizen Participation Crucial to School Policy

August 26, 2013 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

To the Editor:

Everyone is accountable for educational success. The No Child Left Behind Act created sweeping testing mandates that have benefited a handful of educators acting in self-interest, politicians, and publishing concerns.

There seemed to be little resistance to NCLB when disadvantaged students appeared to be the only ones failing. Then, advantaged students and districts couldn’t meet the standards. Alternative evaluations and their ilk grew from trickle to torrent as all concerned tried to ensure their students’ high school graduation.

Money continues to be the name of the educational game, though I would argue that no educational system controlled by finances delivers high-quality education. District leaders have turned themselves inside out, forced their staffs into compliance, and espoused unethical practices such as teaching to the test for funding and to avoid so-called “failure."

When there is honest, open, well-attended dialogue from local communities to statehouses about student placement, support, equitable funding, and entities that are profiting monetarily and professionally from educational policies, we as citizens are better able to make needed change and embark upon meaningful progress in educating our students—ensuring our future. No quick fixes will succeed.

We are all vested in worthwhile educational reform. No one is to blame but us if we are dissatisfied with the outcomes.

Jane E. Lotz-Drlik

Yakima, Wash.

The writer has worked in education for 30 years, including as a teacher and administrator.

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the August 28, 2013 edition of Education Week as Citizen Participation Crucial to School Policy

Events

Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Privacy & Security Webinar
Navigating Cybersecurity: Securing District Documents and Data
Learn how K-12 districts are addressing the challenges of maintaining a secure tech environment, managing documents and data, automating critical processes, and doing it all with limited resources.
Content provided by Softdocs

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Federal Opinion Student Literacy Rates Are Concerning. How Can We Turn This Around?
The ranking Republican senator on the education committee wants to hear from educators and families about making improvements.
6 min read
Image shows a multi-tailed arrow hitting the bullseye of a target.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
Federal Biden Calls for Teacher Pay Raises, Expanded Pre-K in State of the Union
President Joe Biden highlighted a number of his education priorities in a high-stakes speech as he seeks a second term.
5 min read
President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the Capitol on March 7, 2024, in Washington.
President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the Capitol on March 7, 2024, in Washington.
Shawn Thew/Pool via AP
Federal Low-Performing Schools Are Left to Languish by Districts and States, Watchdog Finds
Fewer than half of district plans for improving struggling schools meet bare minimum requirements.
11 min read
A group of silhouettes looks across a grid with a public school on the other side.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week via Canva
Federal Biden Admin. Says New K-12 Agenda Tackles Absenteeism, Tutoring, Extended Learning
The White House unveiled a set of K-12 priorities at the start of an election year.
4 min read
U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona participates in a roundtable discussion with students from Dartmouth College on Jan. 10, 2024, on the school's campus, in Hanover, N.H.
U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona participates in a roundtable discussion with students from Dartmouth College on Jan. 10, 2024, on the school's campus, in Hanover, N.H.
Steven Senne/AP