Running Head: FORMATION OF POLICY ALTERNATIVE PAPER

Formation of Policy Alternative Paper

Ivy Schihl SW 4710 Professor Bowers 11-30-13

Running Head: FORMATION OF POLICY ALTERNATIVE PAPER

Formation of Policy Alternative Paper Educational equality in the United States has been a controversial issue that dates back to slavery and not only slavery but in times prior to that as well. More specifically, the issues on education and funding for education within the United States have not been improving. With the current education issues being present, children are not able to receive the quality of education that they need to succeed in not only present times but in their future. When President Bush introduced The No Child Left Behind Act on March 22nd, 2001, the purpose of the act was to ensure that all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and reach, at a minimum, proficiency on challenging State academic achievement standards and state academic assessments ( H.R. 1 (107th, 2001 p. 16 ). According to the legislation, too many of the neediest children are being left behind; too many are attending failing or unsafe schools; too many receive poor teaching and are performing well below potential; and too many are leaving school altogether(Meier, 2004, p.3).The No Child Left Behind Act initiated a major expansion of federal influence over public K-12 education and was intended to increase the accountability of public school systems and individual public schools in order to improve the achievement outcomes of all students. Throughout this research assignment I will assess and compare policy regarding educational equality in India to that of our own in the United States, as well as form a policy alternative, explain its feasibility for both countries, and possible ideas on what can be done to promote this new policy. . The ideas of what types of educational knowledge students should receive while in K12 schooling has always been a controversial issue within the United States. The rate of teens dropping out of school has greatly increased with the idea that they can just obtain a GED or go to a secondary education school. The idea of education is not taken as seriously as it should be

Running Head: FORMATION OF POLICY ALTERNATIVE PAPER

and the laws put in place should have control on these issues and help educate our youth to become productive U.S. citizens. According to the U.S. legislation, too many of the neediest children are being left behind; too many are attending failing or unsafe schools; too many receive poor teaching and are performing well below potential; and too many are leaving school altogether(Meier, 2004, p.3).The No Child Left Behind Act initiated a major expansion of federal influence over public K-12 education and was intended to increase the accountability of public school systems and individual public schools in order to improve the achievement outcomes of all students. This policy was dictated by federal statue and remains to be a federal issue. According to Meier and Wood, the No Child Left Behind Act inadequately funded and equipped schools (Meier, 2004 p. xix). Through the use of local educational agency grants, schools were provided with money to make the changes needed to make the school programs more equal for those less fortunate. Schools only qualified for these grants if they increased their testing scores between the years of 2005 and 2oo6. Even with the funding given, in most states, access to public education is limited by ones neighborhood. The effect is that wealthier families have access to schools with more robust funding than do their poorer neighbors. Segregation by social class is the rule, not the exception (Meier, 2004 p.6 ). The No Child Left Behind Act was significantly underfunded and schools had to follow all federal guidelines put in place or they would lose their federal funding. Most states were forced to make budget cuts in the form of elective classes which provide a general enrichment of other skills besides for the basic skills. The bill also intended on focusing more on test scores for all groups of students and training teachers to be more qualified for their positions. Although teachers being more qualified for their positions is a positive aspect for the students, teachers argue that with their rate of pay, it is not necessary for them to have to go back to school to get more qualified. The No Child Left

Running Head: FORMATION OF POLICY ALTERNATIVE PAPER

Behind Act also does not take in the account of a childs home life and the effects that their home life may take on the child. Even though the research literature in education has long identified personal and family characteristics as risk factors regarding academic achievement, for instance, policy stipulations do not address the impact of nutrition, adequate housing, safe communities, or adequate health care on a child's ability to attend and excel in school beyond implying that even students in difficult situations should be expected to perform academically. When families do not have access to such services and conditions, children are more likely to struggle academically. Personal and family problems such as abuse and a lack of parental supervision are risk factors for underachievement. In addition, family mobility, often a result of lack of steady housing or employment, is negatively correlated with school success (LaganaRiordan ,2009, p.137). If most children within a school district have bad home lives, then these children will have a harder time thriving in the school atmosphere. Issues such as inadequate government funding and the students home life often lead children lacking within their education. Educational Equality in India The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act or Right to Education Act (RTE), which was passed by the Indian parliament on August 4th, 2009, describes the modalities of the provision of free and compulsory education for children between 6 and 14 in India under Article 21A of the Indian Constitution. The prime minister of India, Manmohan Singh, stated "We are committed to ensuring that all children, irrespective of gender and social category, have access to education. An education that enables them to acquire the skills, knowledge, values and attitudes necessary to become responsible and

Running Head: FORMATION OF POLICY ALTERNATIVE PAPER

active citizens of India" (Kamalakar, p.1). With the Right to Education Act, the Indian government gave a quota out to each public as well as private school and reimbursed those schools with grants. The main focus of the Right to Education Act was to remind citizens of India that they had a right to education and that the children between the ages of 6 and 14 would be able to have full access to education no matter the circumstances. Assess and Compare Policy The No Child Left Behind Act within the United States has come a long way since it was first passed in 2001. As mentioned in my policy analysis paper, According to Deborah White, Supporters of NCLB agree with the mandate for accountability to educational standards, and believe emphasis on test results will improve the quality of public education for all students. The No Child Left Behind Act was based on five factors which included: (1) strong accountability for results; (2) expanded flexibility and local control of schools; (3) an emphasis on teaching methods based on scientific research; (4) expanded options for parents, particularly those whose children attend low-performing schools; and (5) highly qualified teachers. Proponents also believe that NCLB initiatives will further democratize U.S. education, by setting standards and providing resources to schools, regardless of wealth, ethnicity, disabilities or language spoken. (White, 2012, p. 1). Although test scores have greatly increased since the No Child Left Behind Act was put in place, schools are still being underfunded and having to cut their staff members just to get by. Classrooms are increasing in size with the number of students because there is not enough staff to run them and children are not getting the individual attention they need as far as their education goes. The No Child Left Behind Act seemed to inadequately benefit those students that were actually in need of a better education but also benefited those lives of students that were fortunate. With such inadequate benefits, the No Child Left Behind Act was replaced

Running Head: FORMATION OF POLICY ALTERNATIVE PAPER

by the new Student Success Act which was passed house amended in July of 2013. The Student Success Act strives to restore state authority for establishing performance ratings, eliminate adequate yearly process, eliminate federal intervention into science assessments, strengthen parent information about school performance, eliminate the highly qualified teacher mandate, empowers states to design school improvement strategies, and provide funding flexibility(Right to Children Act, p.3). Due to this act being presented, the ongoing problems of the No Child Left Behind Act have been put aside to help make education better for children in need of the services. Much work has been done through the federal government within the United States to help give children a better quality of education. As mentioned, the Student Success Act is a valid attempt to fix the ongoing issues of the No Child Left Behind Act as well as better the quality of education for those in need.

The Indian parliament has also made a valid attempt to ending educational discrimination by providing for development of curriculum in consonance with the values enshrined in the Constitution, and which would ensure the all-round development of the child, building on the childs knowledge, potentiality and talent and making the child free of fear, trauma and anxiety through a system of child friendly and child centered learning (Right to Children Act, p.5). With Indias Right to Education Act, children from the ages of 6-14 have equal rights to elementary education without being discriminated against. According to indg.com, less than 40 percent of the 330 million women aged 7 and over were literate, which means today there are over 200 million illiterate women in India. This low level of illiteracy within the country of India has not only affected these women, it has also affected their families. India has made the education for female children a high priority through the Right to Education Act.

Running Head: FORMATION OF POLICY ALTERNATIVE PAPER

New Policy Alternative

I believe that all children should have the right to a good quality education. Through easy access to all forms of education, cheap to free access to these forms of education, and varied options of extracurricular activities to help reinforce material, all ages can benefit. Extra on hand staff would also be provided to help students achieve assignments when they do not have the help at home. The changes need to be made both federally and through the state. One of the biggest issues institutions face is funding. Funding should not be provided through statistics alone. I believe funding should be provided by the government regardless of statistics. Some countries like India, have their education paid for by the government with some restrictions. Advanced educations are paid for entirely by the government while students who graduate must stay in country for a set amount of time. This promotes job searching within the country the student graduates in and can help economically. All of these factors could be provided under a new act called the Benefit For Children Act.

Many states as well as countries have give federal grants to schools and base the amount of money given on have many children pass and fail at standardized tests, how many children are participating in extracurricular activities, and the location of the schools in general. With this being said, many children are not being given the best education they can because of where they live or how good or bad they did on a test. The main focus of education is to help children succeed based on their individual needs and not based on demographic location. Personal and family problems such as abuse and a lack of parental supervision are risk factors for underachievement. If most children within a school district have bad home lives, then these children will have a harder time thriving in the school atmosphere. This can lead to schools not

Running Head: FORMATION OF POLICY ALTERNATIVE PAPER

receiving the funding they desperately need and these schools cant get ahead to give these children a better understanding on the information being provided. If a child doesnt have someone to help them learn things at home, then the child is going to do poorly on tests or anything else given to him/her. The Benefit for Children Act eliminates this problem because it provides children with the resources and the staff to help them achieve educational goals.

Feasibility of my alternative

The Benefit for Children Act is highly feasible within the United States with proper school funding and qualified teachers. Politically, the Benefit for Children Act would have to be first proposed and then voted on through city and state ballots with the intention on making it a country wide act. Economically, the federal government would have to increase tax rates to help fund this program. With the proper tax increases, K-12 schools would be able to pay for more qualified teachers, extracurricular activities, and proper tutoring programs. Administrative wise, this act would need people who are familiar with the education system, people who are familiar with school funding and what types of funding schools need to provide quality education.

The Benefit for Children Act would be feasible within India for the same reasons. School funding does not seem to be as much of an issue within India as it is within the United States because the levels of education greatly differ to those in the United States. Politically, the Indian parliament would have to propose this idea and then pass it as a law. Economically, higher tax rates would have to be proposed to residents and education would have to be made a priority. Administrative wise, Indian government officials would have to decide what types of education they would like to offer but with the Benefit for Children Act, core classes such as math, science, and English would have to be taken.

Running Head: FORMATION OF POLICY ALTERNATIVE PAPER

Policy and Policy Goals

The Benefit for Children Act would help expand the knowledge of underprivileged children and create a higher standard for children to achieve a better education. Equality for children based on race, gender, age, financial background, disabilities, etc is present within the Benefit for Children Act. Ethically, all children should be given the opportunity to have qualified teachers that better their educational experience and help guide them to a better future. As a future social worker, I believe in advocating for a better quality of education for the future and for children that cannot advocate for themselves.

How will you work to implement your alternative?

To implement my alternative policy, I would first talk to school officials to gain a better understanding of what parts of our education system need to be worked on within the different areas. I would then create a council of educated volunteers that are driven to help make change within the education system. The council and I would then campaign around different school districts and meet with U.S. representatives with our ideas and data. From that point, the U.S. representatives would then take our ideas to office and help make them into an act. The forces for the policy would be those involved within the school systems because it benefits their rate of pay as well as their credentials. The forces against the act would be those that do not have children in the K-12 system and disagree with the idea of raising taxes to help pay for educational needs of children. I would use the forces for the act to help campaign and get the word out there so the act can replace the No Child Left Behind Act as well as the Student Success Act. I would sway the population against the act by helping them understand the positive

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affects the act would have on their future grandchildren and great grandchildren. By doing so, I would hope to help them have a better understanding of the education system.

Describe your personal feeling about this policy alternative

My personal feelings about this policy are that I feel that it is highly beneficial to young students and the future of our society. With better education for all, we can help to eliminate stereotypes and discrimination against underprivileged children and make education equal. I view my role as an advocator for those underprivileged children and as a competent social worker, I can use my skills to help make a difference.

Conclusion

Overall, education has been a controversial issue within our country and continues to be an ongoing problem due to financial issues as well as state laws regarding the requirements that students need to have before they can move forward within K-12 schools. With macro level social work, we can help advocate for underprivileged children and share our ideas with other countries to help increase their quality of education. With these changes, the education systems can become a universal melting pot of ideas.

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Davidson, M. M., & Anderson, G. R. (1982). A Title VI view of child welfare issues. Child Welfare, 61(1), 49-54.

Lagana-Riordan, C. C., & Aguilar, J. P. (2009). What's missing from No Child Left Behind? A policy analysis from a social work perspective.Children & Schools, 31(3), 135-145.

Meier, D. (2004). Many children left behind. Boston, Massachusetts: Beacon Press.

Press Information Bureau English Releases. (n.d.). Press Information Bureau English Releases. Retrieved December 3, 2013, from http://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=60001

Student Success Act: Reforming No Child Left Behind. (n.d.). The Heritage Foundation. Retrieved December 3, 2013, from http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2012/01/studentsuccess-act-reforming-no-child-left-behind

The Right of Children Education Act. (2009, August 21). Education Act. Retrieved October 31, 2013, from http://www.childlineindia.org.in/CP-CR-Downloads/RTE,2009.pdf

U.S. Congress, (2001). H.r. 1 (107th): No child left behind act of 2001 (H.R. 1 (107th)). Retrieved from website: https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/107/hr1/text

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