Board of Education members have a responsibility to the district it serves as well as the state. According to Mooney (2012) “board of education members have a dual status, serving both as town officers and serving as agents of the state to implement the educational interests of the state” (p. 23). This was evident as I glanced at the agenda of the meeting I attended on March 11, 2014. On the agenda were issues that represented the district/town such as, district highlights, a public session, report of the superintendent, and committee updates. Seven different policies ranging from student use of district computers, social media and use of private technology devices were on the agenda too. There were seven out of nine board members present, superintendent, associate superintendent, as well as a student representative.
It was apparent even before the meeting began there was a sense of energy in the room. “The meeting began with a song, “I Believe I Can Fly,” performed by members of the Unified Theater program hosted by the Middletown Recreation and Community Services. The group, which brings together children, ages 10-18 with and without disabilities” (Gecan, March 12, 2014) recently put on a performance in February. Parents, teachers, principals were in attendance to support the students. At this point I counted about ninety five people in attendance. After the students presented the attendance dropped down to seventy-five people.
Then the i-CARE (Intervening with Children At-Risk Early) support system at Bielfield Elementary School presented. The program funded by the CT Health Foundation is to identify, assess and intervene early with students who present behavioral and/or mental health issues. Teachers spoke of ...
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...40312/middletown-education-board- expects-3m-in-state-alliance-funding Hess, Fredrick. (2002). School boards at the dawn of the 21st Century: Conditions and
challenges of district governance. National School Board Association: Virginia.
Mooney, Thomas B. (2012). A practical guide to Connecticut school law. Connecticut
Association of Boards of Education, Inc.: Wethersfield, CT.
Schroyer, Kaitlyn. (2014, January 17). Middletown board of education approves budget, argues
alliance grant. The Middletown Press. Retrieved on 3.29.14:
http://www.middletownpress.com/general-news/20140117/middletown-board-of-
education-approves-budget-argues-alliance-grant
Usdan, Michael D., (n.d.), States and education - state boards Of education. StateUniversity.com. Retrieved from: http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/2450/States-Education-STATE-BOARDS-EDUCATION.html
No greater obligation is placed on school officials than to protect the children in their charge from foreseeable dangers, whether those dangers arise from the careless acts or intentional transgressions of others. Although the overarching mission of a board of education is to educate, its first imperative must be to do no harm to the children in its care. A board of education must take reasonable measures to assure that the teachers and administrators who stand as surrogate parents during the day are educating, not endangering, and protecting, not exploiting, vulnerable children (Frugis v. Bracigliano, 2003).
The third legal issue I chose was Mills vs The Board of Education of The District of Columbia. In 1972 this case was brought to the courts representing seven children, as well as nearly 18,000 other students in the District of Columbia area. These children were classified as having behavioral, intellectual, and emotional disabilities, as well as hyperactivity. All of these children were denied an educational services and public education by being excluded, suspended, expelled, reassigned, and transferred. They were denied based solely on their disability, and without due process. This case was the other of the two that laid the ground work for Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to be passed.
Board of Education v. Pico is a Supreme Court case that was argued from March 2, 1892 to June 25, 1982 (Island Trees…). This case presents the issue of banning “vulgar and immoral” books from school libraries (Board of Education, Island).
Pearson Higher Education. Web. 11 Mar. 2011. http://www.pearsonhighered.com/assets/hip/us/hip_us_pearsonhighered/sam plechapter/0136027245.pdf
Education." Midwest Quarterly 44, no. 2 (Winter2003 2003): 211. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed April 11, 2014).
The U.S. Department of Education. National Center for Education Statistics. 28 Sept. 2000. The U.S. Department of Education. National Center for Education Statistics. 25 Nov. 2000
By having school board meetings, it helps to see what the school’s needs. This is very important for the reason that this may be the only time that a concern parent or person voice might be heard. From this meeting, it was learned that the school board members are willing to help people that have concerns. An example, of this, was when the concern Pre-K parent was worried that she heard that Pre-K has been just a daycare. However, someone from the board mentioned to her that she would personally go with the parent the next day and show her how Pre-K is running during the day. This made the parent so happy because her concerns were being met. I have learned that school board members look out for the students and that they are the number one source that community members should go to if they have a concern or a suggestion to better their children’s
Langston Hughes wrote a poem, in 1951, called “Harlem”. It sums up the play A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry: “What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore- and the run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over- like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode?” Lorraine Hansberry uses this poem to open A Raisin in the Sun. This dialogue suggests what happens to the African American’s dream during the Brown v. Board of Education trials. While critiquing this play I was a little disappointed that Brown v. Board of Education was not discussed directly. However, I did find the plot of the play, and the people who were attending it to be very interesting.
Throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, the American educational system has undergone much transition in response to our changing society. Though there have been many problems raised throughout the years in regard to what our school systems should be teaching our children, there have also been many developments.
http://www.eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=ED032986. New York State Education Dept. Albany, NY. Published Sep, 1962. Web. Retrieved 3 Nov 2013. .
Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia, Public Education in the United States, 2004 <http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2004 Microsoft Corporation. Retrieved November 28, 2004>
Includes statewide academic standards, state assessments aligned to the standards, and student performance levels established prof...
Margaret E. Goertz. Peabody Journal of Education, Vol. 80, No. 2, Federalism Reconsidered: The Case of the No Child Left Behind Act (2005), pp. 73-89
Early Intervening Services is a hot topic and nonetheless relevant topic for us educators. Early Intervening Services is essential for all students to succeed. “The concept of early intervening services was introduced into public school systems with the implementation of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) of 2004” (Mire & Montgomery, 2009). Administrators need to adhere to the educational laws so that all children have the right to learn and grow with their peers in an educational setting. One change in the law is this emphasis of intervening early to meet the needs of children at risk of not succeeding in the classroom. A common thread with the research articles I’ve selected is this notion of effectiveness. Dickman’s (2007) formula and the provided description of IDEA: Early Intervening Services ( ) both support the non negotiable pieces of the puzzle in order to have an effective approach when providing Early Intervening Services. The research heavily emphasizes the importance of Early Intervening Services must be provided with scientific research-based, training to carry out the program, and informed environment. The research strongly suggests that all three are essential to meet the expectations of Early Intervening Services. Dickman’s vital points do align with the definition of IDEA. In Neuman’s (2007) Changing the Odds article, identifies effective principles to an intervention just like Dickman; she also agrees professional training is key to effective Early Intervening Services. Although, her attributes for an effective intervention consist of eight principles and his consist of three, both of them strongly believe children can succeed when provided effective early intervention services by...
United States Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2004). The condition of education 2004. Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office.