Dive Brief:
- During a speech last week in Las Vegas, U.S. Secretary of Education Dr. John B. King said that too much focus on reading and math has been detrimental to other subject areas.
- King called for the incorporation of more science, social studies, world languages and the arts, saying that those subjects are "critical to learning," the Santa Fe New Mexican reports.
- King noted that by looking at a variety of topics, it's easier to spark a child's interest and excitement around learning, which can lead to overall life success in the future.
Dive Insight:
The push for an increased focus beyond reading and math may ultimately lead to more testing in science, social studies, language, and the arts, a problem that would potentially run contrary to the new federal push to scale back the amount of standardized testing in American classrooms. But if such a focus were to gain traction, a greater need for modern textbooks, interactive learning, and more accessible source materials might help students better engage with those topics.
Some, like American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, pointed out that just because King mentioned such a topic in a speech, it doesn't mean that school districts will actually do anything differently. She may have a point: Nothing in ESSA pushes school systems to revamp, and even accountability measures remain yet-to-be determined.
The push also may lead to a greater acceptance of guidelines like the Next Generation Science Standards, which remain controversial in many states. Otherwise, school leaders at the local and state levels will need to figure out another approach with which to evaluate student learning in science, on top of social studies, world languages and the arts.