Page 2 The Skanner August 16, 2017
Challenging People to Shape
a Better Future Now
It’s Time to Show ‘Middle Neighborhoods’ Love
Bernie Foster
Founder/Publisher
Bobbie Dore Foster
Executive Editor
Jerry Foster
Advertising Manager
Christen McCurdy
News Editor
Patricia Irvin
Graphic Designer
Melanie Sevcenko
Reporter
Monica J. Foster
Seattle Office Coordinator
Susan Fried
Photographer
2017
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Opinion
W
hat do countries,
states and neighbor-
hoods have in com-
mon? People. They
all compete for people.
Through people, you get
innovators, investors, build-
ers, developers, thinkers.
Through people, you have the
building blocks of your work-
force.
Our neighborhoods rely on
anchors like great schools,
bustling shops and small
businesses, and a competi-
tive housing stock in order
to attract homebuyers and in-
crease long-term homeown-
ership.
In my District, the Second
District of Pennsylvania, I am
fortunate to represent top of
the line research institutions
such as the University of
Pennsylvania, Drexel, Tem-
ple, Saint Joseph’s, LaSalle
and many more, that continue
to lead the way in innovation
and development, and drive
new residents to our neigh-
borhoods across the city of
Philadelphia and into the sur-
rounding suburbs like Lower
Merion and Narberth, that
call the 2nd District home.
Throughout the course of
my over three-and-a-half de-
Dwight
Evans
State Rep.
(PA-02)
cades of public service, I have
always looked for thoughtful
ways to “Make Ideas Matter,”
always strategically search-
ing for that moment when an
idea becomes a part of our
public policy.
In Congress, I am trying to
put a spotlight and raise the
dialogue on “Middle Neigh-
borhoods” nationwide.
“Middle
Neighborhoods”
are caught between growing
and declining neighborhoods.
They are neighborhoods that
are doing “good enough” right
now, but are threatened by de-
cline, as the demand to live in
these neighborhoods is weak-
ening.
Middle
Neighborhoods
walk a tightrope. They are
solid neighborhoods that
are being squeezed, because
they aren’t poor enough or
wealthy enough. We need to
show these neighborhoods a
little love before it’s too late
and they tip toward decline.
Right now, our Middle
Neighborhoods have no clear
lane in our federal policy. To
add to this, President Trump
and his administration have
done little to reinvest in cities
nationwide.
“
They are solid
neighbor-
hoods that
are being
squeezed,
because
they aren’t
poor enough
or wealthy
enough
Last summer when speak-
ing to the African American
community at a rally in Phil-
adelphia, President Trump
said, “What the hell do you
have to lose?”
This March, members of
the Executive Committee of
the Congressional Black Cau-
cus (CBC) met with President
Trump at the White House to
discuss the key issues plagu-
ing the African American
community.
During the meeting, the
CBC Executive Committee
delivered a CBC-authored,
130-page policy document ti-
tled “We Have A Lot To Lose:
Solutions to Advance Black
Families in the 21st Century,”
which includes detailed Af-
rican American history, CBC
history, 21st-century policy
solutions for African-Amer-
ican families, and also high-
lights, three of my key pri-
orities in Congress: “Middle
Neighborhoods,” “School Re-
habilitation” and “Food Inse-
curity” as key action items for
the policy agenda of the CBC.
It’s long overdue for the
federal government to come
together and stand united to
make modernization, devel-
opment and investment in
our neighborhoods a top pri-
ority for cities, suburbs and
towns nationwide.
We take pride in our neigh-
borhoods. We are proud of
the block we live on. We have
come to call our neighbors
our friends. It’s on us to give
our neighborhoods the tools
they need in their toolbox.
Healthy, strong neighbor-
hoods lead to bustling, vi-
brant economies.
Why Standards are Important Under the ESSA
S
tandards have always
been a part of society.
From standards of mea-
surements and time to
driver’s licenses, food prepa-
ration in restaurants and
language, standards keep us
healthy and safe and help us
communicate with each other.
In the 1980s, the United
States began to expand and
formalize public education
standards. This process was
the driving force behind the
education reform movement.
Standards in education were
supposed to set clear guide-
lines for what all students
were expected to learn and
be able to do. The curriculum
and assessments were sup-
posed to be aligned with es-
tablished standards.
In 2001, with the signing of
the No Child Left Behind Act
(NCLB) by President W. Bush,
a significant emphasis on stan-
dards took on a life of its own.
Under NCLB, all states were
required to develop standards
and assessments to measure
student achievement. Prob-
lems occurred when states de-
veloped individual standards
that measured knowledge
and skill levels. There was no
way to determine if a student
passing one state’s standards
was equivalent to a student’s
level of accomplishment in
another state. Tests that were
national, like the PSAT, SAT,
ACT, and the National Edu-
cational Assessment of Prog-
ress (NAEP), all indicated that
students with passing grades
in high school, that met state
Dr.
Elizabeth
Primas
Progam
Manager,
NNPA
standards, were not necessar-
ily prepared to be successful
in college and career.
In 2009, there was a state-
led effort to develop the
Common Core State Stan-
dards (CCSS); the effort was
“
The standard
implemen-
tation did
not consider
students with
persistent
challenges
launched by state leaders, in-
cluding governors and state
commissioners of education
from 48 states, two territories
and the District of Columbia;
CCSS was supposed to reme-
dy the differentiation in state
standards under NCLB. The
National Governors Associa-
tion Center for Best Practices
(NGA Center) and the Council
of Chief State School Officers
(CCSSO) worked with educa-
tional agencies to create one
set of standards that would be
uniform for the country. That
same year, the Obama Admin-
istration developed the Race
to the Top Fund, a $4.35 bil-
lion dollar competitive grant
program designed to ensure
that all students graduated
high school prepared for col-
lege, career, and life. Race to
the Top used financial incen-
tives to encourage states to
adopt CCSS.
Along with common stan-
dards,
came
high-stakes
testing. Most states adopted
one of two assessments: the
Smarter Balance Assessment
or the Partnership for Assess-
ment of Readiness for College
and Careers (PARCC). Many
stakeholders saw high-stakes
assessments as unrealistic,
because all children were re-
quired to perform at world-
class levels, merely by raising
expectations and imposing
punishments and sanctions
on schools and children who
fell short of the standards.
The standard implementa-
tion did not consider students
with persistent challenges
that could have impeded them
from reaching high-levels of
achievement. There was no
flexibility in meeting these
standards, regardless of so-
cioeconomic status, age, race,
gender, cultural or ethnic
background, disabilities or
family circumstances.
The discussions around
implementation of stan-
dards did acknowledge that
student learning abilities
were not homogeneous. Yet,
schools seldom provided the
range of training, personnel,
and strategy needed to meet
all students. Subsequently,
when students didn’t meet the
goals, they were retained and
schools faced sanctions.
Research has indicated that
minority students, including
English Language Learners
(ELL), students living in pov-
erty, and students with dis-
abilities are disproportionate-
ly represented in the group of
students that do not make suf-
ficient and significant growth
to meet the standards and ob-
jectives promoted.
Under the “Every Student
Succeeds Act” (ESSA), states
have been given the leeway
to: continue using the Com-
mon Core State Standards
and/or create and adopt their
own rigorous standards.
Along with the freedom to
select standards best suited
for specific state demograph-
ics, states can also select what
assessments they adminis-
ter. As states submit their
ESSA plans, many states have
steered away from the CCSS.
Several states have indicated
that they will not continue
using Smarter Balance or
PARCC to measure standard
mastery.
The only way to be sure
what standards your child
must meet is for you, the par-
ent, to get involved, and stay
engaged at every level. Your
child is our future, and we ask
all parents to remain focused
in the pursuit of their educa-
tion.
Every meeting that involves
your child’s education is im-
portant. Be there, be vigilan-
te, stay persistent, have your
voice heard.
nt •
lo c a l n e w s •
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