Ed Reforms: 1980’s – Present

Early 1980s: Education in Trouble 1983: A Nation at Risk (Nat’l Commission on Excellence in Education) Four Areas of Concern Curricula: not challenging Expectations too low Too little time, too much wasted time Teachers not well-prepared

Carnegie Task Force on Teaching as a Profession A Nation Prepared: Teachers for the Twenty-First Century (1986) Shift focus of reforms Teachers as solution to, not cause of, problem Teacher Professionalism Movement Multiple spin-off organizations

Curriculum and Instruction “Constructivism” “Whole Language” Ken and Yetta Goodman Frank Smith

Curriculum and Instruction WL spread widely across U.S.: “ Reading Wars” Skills-based, phonics based instruction vs. WL California mandated it in late 1980’s

Accountability Throughout 1990s, “high stakes accountability” NC’s ABCs of Education, e.g. All states now Tests are norm-referenced (vs. criterion-referenced) State, district, school National Assessment of Educational Progress

Since NAR: What Has Changed Content Recommendations “New Basics” State graduation test: 22 states as of 2001 Raising Academic Expectations Time Recommended 7 hr day and 200-220 day school year Improving teaching

Since NAR: Improving Teaching Meet high educational standards Aptitude for teaching Competence in an academic discipline Increased Pay Market Sensitive Merit Based Career Ladders Special Incentives, esp. Science and Math

What Has Changed 1982 2001 1999 % with MA/MS 31% 39% % with BA 94% 90% (Emergency Cert’s) 1999 % with BA in academic subject area 28% 23% % with BA/MA in math or science 7% 5% Semesters of math/science 6 4

What Has Changed 1982 2000 % pay based on performance < 1% <1% Avg. Teacher Pay $33,884 $37,865 (inc. 12%)