Introduction
Currently, the education system is overwhelmed by numerous political confrontations, varying from changes in disciplinary policies to decreased funding from the government. Many people accept that the provision of a high-quality curriculum is vital for all citizens at large (Brighouse et al., 2018). Nonetheless, the education sector provides different opinions on how that can be achieved, and it causes various debates from passionate advocates on both sides. Because of that, understanding challenges in the academic sector is important for parents, taxpayers, and students (“Major Political Issues Affecting Education: Four Hot Topics,” 2021). This discussion provides comprehensive details on current political issues in primary, secondary, and post-secondary education as well as how political decision-making impacts education.
There is a decreased level of safety in private and public schools. Various high-profile schools experienced mass shootings, which lead to lots of deaths and debates on the most appropriate safety methods for learners (Brighouse et al., 2018). A poll was conducted following the killing of about 16 students in Florida (“Major Political Issues Affecting Education: Four Hot Topics,” 2021). Almost 57% of the participants argued that they were scared about potential gun shootings in their schools (“Major Political Issues Affecting Education: Four Hot Topics,” 2021). The majority of people claim that such shootings result from political differences aimed at passing messages from one side to the other. Therefore, students find themselves in the center of political variations and their safety is put in danger.
The other important finding is education funding by the government. Government financial support for various projects in universities, high schools, and primary school is one of the political issues affecting many people in the education sector (“Major Political Issues Affecting Education: Four Hot Topics,” 2021). For example, the public education system in America consists of secondary and primary and receives funds from the government through taxes. Almost 89% of the available k-12 financial support comes from both state and the local government (“Major Political Issues Affecting Education: Four Hot Topics,” 2021). In the wake of the great recession, many states did not provide financial support to most schools (Major Political Issues Affecting Education: Four Hot Topics, 2021). The significant dropping was viewed as a decrease in revenues from income tax and sales. However, even after the great depression schools still received a low amount. Therefore, the formulas that were used by the states have been under scrutiny and subjected to court cases.
The other significant finding relates to current policies on student discipline. Data collected from the U.S. education department revealed that there are higher suspension rates faced by black students than others (“Major Political Issues Affecting Education: Four Hot Topics,” 2021). For instance, in k-12 learning institutions, black students comprise a lesser percentage of enrollees but their percentage of suspension is high (“Major Political Issues Affecting Education: Four Hot Topics,” 2021). This signifies that there is unfair treatment of black students by some instructors mainly in the issuance of disciplinary measures because of racism. Therefore, to create a solution, instructions were put in place for all public schools thus eliminating differences when providing disciplinary measures while conforming to the federal civil rights laws.
How Political Decision Making is Currently Impacting Education
On March 13, 2017, the U.S. secretary of education Betsy DeVos announced the release of the updated Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) consolidated state plan template. The updated state template was meant to make sure that all states provide services to learners with the flexibility and the freedom they ought to have, and which is expected by the Congress (“U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos Announces Release of Updated ESSA Consolidated State Plan Template,” 2021). Therefore, ESSA was passed with wide bipartisan support to shift power from Washington D.C to those closest to serving learners in the nation.
The updated template is meant to provide increased flexibility for leaders in state and local education to offer what they understand to be of the greatest benefit for learners. They are also required to maintain essential protections for economically disadvantaged learners, disabled students, and English learners (“U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos Announces Release of Updated ESSA Consolidated State Plan Template,”2021). Therefore, the law requires that states play part in ensuring all learners are taught by excellent instructors and safe surroundings preparing them for college and their future careers.
Various definitions of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) such as NAEP advanced; NAEP proficient and NAEP basic for grades 4, 8, and 12 have been explained. These levels of achievements are collective, thus students at the NAEP proficient level show the abilities related to the NAEP basic level (“The NAEP Civics Achievement Level Details,” 2021). Also, learners at the NAEP advanced level ought to exhibit qualities of both NAEP proficient and NAEP basic levels which is important in ensuring that learners are well equipped with the right knowledge.
For instance, students in fourth grade performing at the NAEP basic ought to possess knowledge about the meaning of government and its role. They are required to be in a position to determine some of the things that are not supposed to be done by the government (“The NAEP Civics Achievement Level Details,” 2021). Learners ought to possess knowledge of the foundation of the political system of America. In community and school contexts, they ought to understand rights and responsibilities, laws and rules, and how one can be involved in governing (“The NAEP Civics Achievement Level Details,” 2021). Finally, these learners need to understand that there are many divisions in the world representing different countries.
The grade eight learners at NAEP Proficient stage need to understand and explain the purpose that the government should serve. They should be able to differentiate the government and the civil society and why the rule of law is important (“The NAEP Civics Achievement Level Details,” 2021). They ought to identify the inconsistencies between the American realities and ideals and be able to explain ongoing efforts to deal with them. They ought to have knowledge about the separation and power-sharing and the branches of the government and how the state and federal government differ (“The NAEP Civics Achievement Level Details,” 2021). They ought to be capable of describing how citizens can control the government. Finally, they ought to be capable of describing events within the U.S. and other nations that have global effects.
Learners at the twelfth grade performing at the NAEP Advanced stage ought to possess a mature and thorough knowledge of the weaknesses and the strengths of different types of constitutional democracy. They ought to be in a position to fully describe the American government structure and political process (“The NAEP Civics Achievement Level Details,” 2021). Additionally, learners ought to understand how American realities and ideals vary and also explain current and previous responses to those variations. They also need to know why democracy is maintained by collective and individual activities as well as civic depositions (“The NAEP Civics Achievement Level Details,” 2021). Finally, students ought to have the capacity to explain the consequences and objectives of American foreign policy.
Conclusion
Conclusively, this paper has explored the current political issues of the post-secondary, secondary, and primary curriculum and how the current political decisions are affecting the education system. These political issues present in the academic sector cause chaos from various sectors advocating for a lasting resolution. Even though various procedures have been put in place trying to solve these issues, many learners are still suffering. This is particularly in racism and insufficient financial support from the government, yet the funds are required to create a smooth running of the learning institutions.
References
Brighouse, H., Ladd, H. F., Loeb, S., & Swift, A. (2018). Educational goods: Values, evidence, and decision-making. University of Chicago Press.
Major political issues affecting education: Four hot topics (2021). Space Coast Daily. Web.
The NAEP Civics Achievement Level Details (2021). National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Web.
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos Announces Release of Updated ESSA Consolidated State Plan Template. U.S. (2021) Department of Education. Web.