EDUCATION WEEK: FIVE MOST PRESSING ISSUES IN EDUCATION TODAY

摘要

Charters: The debate about charter schools and vouchers is still as contentious as it was a decade ago, but additional positioning from the federal government has added a new element. Currently, 66% of the public supports charters (decrease from 2011) and 44% support voucher programs (up from 2011). Standards: With the adoption of the national common core standards, the landscape of curriculum and assessment development has changed markedly. While 71 % of teachers think that the Common Core will improve their students' college- and career- readiness, only 26% believe that testing is an accurate measure of their students' achievement. Closings: As school districts face failing student performance scores and budget crunches, school closures can both turn around troubled schools and keep operations costs down. The debate arises over where these schools are shut and whether they had been given the resources to succeed in the first place.