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School & District Management Opinion

My Predictions for 2013

By John Wilson — January 02, 2013 1 min read
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Happy New Year!

For 2013, many people will be making resolutions and anticipating what the new year will bring to education policy and politics. I am devoting this blog to my predictions for 2013. I invite you to share your predictions by making a comment or emailing me at johnwilsonunleashed@gmail.com. Now, here are my predictions for 2013:

1. As new tests are developed and aligned with the common core standards, there will be more opposition and abandonment of high stakes measures based on the results of students’ standardized test scores.

2. Reauthorization of ESEA will continue to be difficult, but Congress will pass at least two pieces of legislation on teacher quality and student assessment.

3. Virtual schools will be surrounded by more controversy because of the greed of a few for-profit companies, and states will begin to address the public’s concerns through legislation and regulation. Those new rules will curb abuses and include more virtual schools under the umbrella of the public school system.

4. Technology companies will join forces with teacher advocates to fight misplaced efforts to replace teachers with technology.

5. There will be an increase in the teaching of world languages through immersion schools and magnet programs. The public and politicians will demand global education so that students today will be better prepared for tomorrow’s demands.

6. While there will be an increase in the number of charter schools, more of them will be closed due to academic failure than in any previous year.

7. Teacher anger will boil over into more civil disobedience, strikes, and boycotts.

8. President Obama will lead a national effort to move into an innovation economy by investing more in education, scientific research, and infrastructure.

9. Democrat Terry McAuliffe will defeat Republican Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli in the race for Governor of Virginia, and New Jersey Governor Christie will be re-elected in a closer race than expected.

10. Hillary Clinton will indicate her intention to run for President of the United States after 6 months of rest and reflection.

Let’s hope that support for public schools will increase, respect for teachers and education support professionals will be universal, and all children will receive an education that prepares them to be successful in our global community.

The opinions expressed in John Wilson Unleashed are strictly those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications.