As we consider the current status of educational reform, it is clear that the United States lacks a clear vision as to how to improve our schools. In the recent past, we have been able to gain support for ideas such as the need for special education programs, free and reduced lunches, pre-school programs, and equal educational opportunities for both boys and girls. While programs such as these were possible because of a national consensus, our challenge today is to agree on the way to move forward. Although it is most obvious in our inability to act on No Child Left Behind, the failure to define a common vision is true of many other issues in the field of education. Without an agreed-upon vision which includes the support of those working in our schools, true reform will be extremely difficult. The purpose of this book is to help the reader understand our differences and to suggest a way that we can reach a consensus on education reform.
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Professor Hayes clearly describes the dilemmas that school districts in this country are dealing with as a result of failing to reauthorize No Child Left Behind. As an administrator working in the area of Special Education, the new initiatives, Common Core State Standards, and standardized assessments do not take into consideration that one size does not fit all. The objectives that Professor Hayes outlines are a tall order for our government at both the federal and state level, but he does offer a way forward. Our national leadership would be well advised to read this book as it will help readers to see that educational reform is indeed possible!
