Knowledge is Power!
By Dr. Maria Pouncey, Administrator of Instructional Services
We are our children’s first teachers! As parents or guardians, we have rights and responsibilities for the education of our children. Our rights for a free and public education have not come easy! Many before us, just like you and me, paved the way for our children to attend school free of prejudice. We should appreciate the history of our educational system and those who were brave enough to fight for ALL children to attend school and ensuring they have the same rights as any child in this country regardless of race, origin or religion. The road has not been easy and we must be aware of our history so no child is subjected to discrimination in our schools. Be thankful that we have come a long way!
One major Supreme Court ruling occurred in1954, Brown vs. State Board of Education in Topeka. Thanks to Oliver Brown, the court finally recognized that our schools could no longer be “separate but equal” dissolving the 1896 law of legally separating whites from blacks in education. The little girl involved in this case was Linda Brown who died March 25, 2018 at the age of 75. As an adult, Linda continued the fight to ensure schools were open to all regardless of color. The Mendez family had previously begun the same fight in 1946 but it was only in the state of California. California courts ruled in favor of the Mendez family to eliminate segregation of minority students such as Mexicans and Mexican Americans.
Another landmark case affecting the education of our immigrants was in 1982, Plyer vs. Doe. Again, the Supreme Court ruled that no child would be denied an education regardless of immigration status—they would have the same rights as citizens’ children. With this right comes the requirement that all children MUST attend school until they reach the age established by law—in Florida, we have mandatory attendance through the age of 16. Today, more than ever, the government affirms the importance of parent participation in their child’s education.
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) signed into law by President Obama, December 10, 2015 clearly includes parents in many of the educational plans developed by the state and districts. The ESSA was a bipartisan measure, yes, agreed by both Democrats and Republicans, to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965.
Why is ESEA important to us? ESEA established “our first national goal of every student having the opportunity for a full education!” President Johnson in 1965 signed the bill sitting next to his teacher and called it the “War on Poverty.” This is where many of our federal programs that supplement our students and schools most in need are financially supported.
The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) reauthorized many federal programs aimed at improving the performance of K-12 schools, increasing accountability and providing parents flexibility in choosing the schools for their children. Particularly, to identify where students were making progress and where they needed additional support; regardless of race, income, zip code, disability, home language, or background. This law especially helped subgroups such as English Learners, Latino students, and poor students. States considered NCLB as very prescriptive and its requirements very difficult to follow by schools and teachers. But it did identify the gaps that existed within our disadvantaged students. The ESSA replaced NCLB, giving states, districts, and schools more flexibility. ESSA—for the first time—requires “that all students in America be taught to high academic standards that will prepare them to succeed in college and careers”.
Retrieved from Department of Education, https://www.ed.gov/ESSA. Knowledge is Power!
