Friday, April 29, 2016

What parents want to hear from the candidates about K-12 education | Parents Across America

What parents want to hear from the candidates about K-12 education | Parents Across America:
What parents want to hear from the candidates about K-12 education


Parents Across America agrees with recent posts (in Blooomberg Views here and the Nation here for example) that the lack of attention to K-12 education policy in the current election campaign is a major concern, especially given the disappointing results of recent independent national achievement tests which make it clear that years of corporate-driven education “reform” have failed our children.
Parents are waiting to hear from candidates who understand the need to move on from the accountability movement’s high-stakes tests and narrowed curriculum, and its war on teachers, neighborhood schools, and the very foundation of democratic public education.
Specifically, we’d like to hear candidates call for:
  • safeguards for our children’s health and privacy against the increasing intrusion of digital devices into schools;
  • less standardized testing, whether one-shot, benchmarked, or embedded;
  • more play-based learning in early childhood classrooms rather than test prep that undermines child development;
  • an end to discipline practices that criminalize youthful mistakes and discriminate against students of color;
  • limits on federal funding for charter schools with more accountability for
- See more at: http://parentsacrossamerica.org/parents-hear-candidates-k-12-education/#sthash.M355XOOW.dpuf