Critical Issues in Urban Education

Go to Course: https://www.coursera.org/learn/urban-education

Introduction

### Course Review: Critical Issues in Urban Education on Coursera #### Overview The "Critical Issues in Urban Education" course offered on Coursera is a profound exploration of the multifaceted challenges and debates that characterize urban education reform in the United States. As our society grapples with contentious policies affecting public education, this course examines the historical context and contemporary issues that shape these discussions. It provides an excellent platform for educators, policymakers, students of education, and anyone interested in understanding the complexities of urban schooling. #### Course Content The syllabus unfolds through a series of modules that address critical themes in urban education reform. 1. **American Public Education: Critical Issues & Historical Context**: The course begins by delineating the unique aspects of the American public education system, particularly its decentralized governance structure. This background sets the stage for a deeper understanding of the complexities involved in educational reform. 2. **The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)**: A significant focus is placed on NCLB, a landmark piece of legislation aimed at promoting accountability within schools. Through this module, learners engage with contrasting viewpoints surrounding federal involvement in education, providing a well-rounded perspective on the criticisms and praises of such policies. 3. **The Common Core State Standards (CCSS)**: The course proceeds to analyze the Common Core Standards and the historical evolution of educational standards in the U.S. This segment encourages critical thinking about the intentions behind CCSS and the ongoing debates about its effectiveness. 4. **Interviews and Panel Discussions**: The course thoughtfully integrates interviews with various experts from the Urban Education Institute, offering real-world insights and promoting dialogue among practitioners and researchers. These discussions help bridge theoretical knowledge with practical experiences in the education field. 5. **School Choice and Charter Schools**: A pivotal part of the course examines school choice initiatives and charter schools, investigating their historical development and the controversies they generate. This discussion is particularly relevant, as school choice is a hot-button issue with implications for students and communities. 6. **School Accountability**: The concept of school accountability, its emergence, and its relevancy is critically examined, fostering an understanding of its implications for educational quality versus the risk of misusing accountability metrics. 7. **Teacher Effectiveness and Evaluation**: Finally, the course delves into the evaluation of teacher effectiveness and how this ties into broader accountability frameworks. This topic is timely, given the re-evaluations underway in many school systems about what constitutes effective teaching. #### Conclusion and Final Assignment The final assignment challenges students to synthesize their learnings into a reflective response paper. This promotes not only comprehension of the course material but also critical engagement with the content presented throughout the weeks. ### Recommendation "Critical Issues in Urban Education" comes highly recommended for anyone invested in the future of public education. The course's structured approach, combined with rich content and expert insights, makes it invaluable for educators, policy makers, and advocates for reform. The ability to engage with critical debates that influence educational policies ensures that participants leave with a nuanced understanding of how urban education is shaped. Whether you’re looking to deepen your understanding of urban education challenges, develop strategies for advocacy, or simply explore the educational landscape of America, this course will equip you with the knowledge and tools to engage effectively in these vital discussions. Enroll today on Coursera and take a significant step towards becoming an informed education reformist!

Syllabus

American Public Education: Critical Issues & Historical Context

As we launch the course, we will explore the history of public schooling and school reform in the United States. The approach to public education in the United States is unique, with governance, quality, and approach residing at the state and local level. As a result, efforts to improve and reform public schools in the United States are complex. Together, we will unpack these critical foundational characteristics of American public schooling, and explore the ways in which these contextual factors influence topics explored throughout the course.

This week, we will examine federal strategies to improve public schooling, beginning with the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). NCLB is the 2001 reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Enacted during the presidency of George W Bush, NCLB emphasized accountability, choice and flexibility. Discussion of the goals and intentions of NCLB will naturally lead us to consider the controversies around federal involvement in public education given the nature of the locally controlled approach to the American system. We will explore divergent opinions about NCLB theory of action and effectiveness.

As we continue our exploration of federal involvement in public education, we will discuss the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), the creation of a shared set of common standards and assessments for public education. We will examine the history of the creation of standards in the United States, revealing the fact that the concept of standards has been evident for decades. What can we learn from this history? How is the Common Core like or not like these previous efforts? We will consider the goals and intentions behind the Common Core, as well as the divergent opinions about its effectiveness.

We had the pleasure of interviewing several experts in the education space from around Chicago and the Urban Education Institute. Listen as they discuss topics surrounding NCLB and CCSS. They will have a variety of perspectives from that of a researcher to a practitioner. Which do you identify with? Did any of the participants resonate with you?

School choice includes a set of practices and policies that aim to provide new educational options for students, to improve individual, school and school system outcomes. The concept on the surface sounds simple and logical and yet school choice is complex in implementation and has sparked much debate. What are the reasons for this controversy? Together, we will examine the history, types of school choice, the debates about effectiveness, and the ways in which this theory of action has become highly politicized and controversial.

This week, we will focus our attention on charter schools. We will explore the history of charter schools in the United States, examining fundamental questions about their theory of action and effectiveness. In these lectures, we will gain critical knowledge about how charter schools came to be, whether they are effective, and why they are so controversial.

We had the pleasure of interviewing several experts in the education space from around Chicago and the Urban Education Institute. Listen as they discuss issues surrounding School Choice and Charter Schools. They will have a variety of perspectives from that of a researcher to a practitioner. Which do you identify with? Did any of the participants resonate with you?

The idea of accountability, or holding students, teachers, schools and school districts responsible for school performance, has become a key focus for practitioners, policy makers, and citizens. Why did the concept of accountability emerge and why has it become so central, so controversial? This week, we will learn about the concept of accountability in schools, which emerged in the United States in the 1990s. We will examine the history of the accountability, and the many forms this idea has taken. In doing so, we will consider pressing questions about how we ensure high quality schooling while not making accountability an ends in itself.

This week, we will dig more deeply into the concept of accountability, by examining teacher effectiveness and evaluation. In the process, we will learn about efforts to define and measure teacher effectiveness, and the push nationally to integrate teacher evaluation into individual teacher, school, school system and state accountability systems.

In the last week, we interviewed several experts in the education space from around Chicago and the Urban Education Institute on their view of accountability. As a summary of your learning in this class, we ask you to write a short response paper.