Head, American Federation of Teachers's Michigan chapter
Vice President and head of the Michigan Chapter of the American Federation of Teachers
PROFILE
David Hecker
Guest
FROM David Hecker
Which Way, L.A.?
Will 'Race to the Top' Leave No Child Behind? " No Child Left Behind " became federal law in 2001, proposed by President Bush and supported by the late Senator Kennedy. The idea was to set high standards and measure student performance with standardized tests so that teachers and schools could be held accountable. It's still the law, but many provisions have become controversial . Now the Obama Administration is asking states to compete for another $4.3 billion in what's called " Race to the Top ."
To the Point
Will 'Race to the Top' Leave No Child Behind? George W. Bush proposed " No Child Left Behind " in 2001, and it passed with the support of many Democrats, most prominently the late Senator Edward Kennedy. The idea was to set high standards and measure student performance with standardized tests so that teachers and schools could be held accountable. It's still the law, but many provisions have become controversial . Now the Obama Administration has created " Race to the Top ." Instead of punishing failing schools, it sets up a $4.3 billion competition for schools to succeed. States are vying to establish charter schools and require standardized tests to evaluate student progress and teacher performance. Do those reforms really work? Will Race to the Top improve existing law or perpetuate its failings?
Recommended
To the Point
Trump's new look at civil rights and global warming President Trump is reportedly ready to pull the US out of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. We look at the possible consequences. On the second half of the program, we hear about cuts in Obama-Era civil rights programs called for by the Trump Administration's first budget plan.
To the Point
The longest US war: Will Trump send more troops to Afghanistan? The Trump White House is divided over the Pentagon's request for more troops in Afghanistan—where the US has been fighting for the past 16 years. Is there a formula -- either for "victory" or a political settlement? Is there an end in sight for America's longest war?
Left, Right & Center
How was the trip? President Trump's travels got less fun as he went from the Middle East to Europe.
To the Point
What happens when America retreats from the world? Is President Trump taking his "America First" agenda to extremes, withdrawing the country from the international stage on trade and climate change, distancing America from its traditional allies across the Atlantic and even threatening to physically isolate the country through the building of a wall along its southern border? León Krauze guest hosts.