ESEA At 50: The Federal Government And Equity in American Education

Reclaiming the Promise of Education Conversation Series
February 18, 2015

Fifty years ago, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was first enacted into law as part of the “war against poverty,” bringing the federal government into American education as a force for equity and educational opportunity. Today, thirteen years after its transformation into No Child Left Behind (NCLB), the debates over the reauthorization of ESEA have posed questions that go to the heart of federal government’s role as a force for educational equity. Will Title One funds be diverted from high poverty students and public schools? Will those funds end up in vouchers and other privatization schemes that undermine the public schools serving the students with the greatest needs? Will the failed NCLB accountability regime be replaced with an approach that supports and improves public schools serving students with the greatest needs? Our panel will discuss these questions and more.

Speakers

Judith Browne Dianis, co-director, Advancement Project

Wade Henderson, president and ceo, Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.

Randi Weingarten, president, American Federation of Teachers and Albert Shanker Institute.

Moderator: Michelle Ringuette, assistant to the president, American Federation of Teachers

Sponsored by the Albert Shanker Institute and the American Federation of Teachers, this conversation series is designed to engender lively and informative discussions on important educational issues. We deliberately invite speakers with diverse perspectives, including views other than those of the AFT and the Albert Shanker Institute. What is important is that these participants are committed to genuine engagement with each other.

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The Adequacy and Fairness of State School Finance Systems (Fifth Edition)
A national evaluation of the K-12 school finance systems of all 50 states and D.C., published by researchers from the Albert Shanker Institute, University of Miami, and Rutgers Graduate School of Education.
Constitution Day 2022 Resources and Blog Series
As we recognize Constitution Day this year, so much is stake—our institutions, our rights and our ability to teach. So the Albert Shanker Institute and Share My Lesson are launching a series of teach-ins to provide content knowledge on the rights granted in the Constitution, with teachable strategies for the classroom.

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Our Mission

The Albert Shanker Institute, endowed by the American Federation of Teachers and named in honor of its late president, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to three themes - excellence in public education, unions as advocates for quality, and freedom of association in the public life of democracies. With an independent Board of Directors (composed of educators, business representatives, labor leaders, academics, and public policy analysts), its mission is to generate ideas, foster candid exchanges, and promote constructive policy proposals related to these issues.

This blog offers informal commentary on the research, news, and controversies related to the work of the Institute.