Federal policymakers, including the incoming presidential administration, have the ability to take action and establish a new agenda for K–12 education, but there isn't a magic bullet or one proposal that will significantly enhance opportunities and results for students. There are five main items that this agenda should highlight: 1.Developing policies with a clear racial equity focus 2.All pupils must be prepared for college and the workforce of the future. 3.Improving and modernizing the teaching profession 4.Enhancing the equality of current investments and significantly raising funding for public education 5.implementing charter school policy with a balanced perspective Turning to each of these elements, this paper examines them in greater detail.
Developing policies with an explicit racial equity lens
The goal of K12 education reform has traditionally been to implement measures that will help historically underprivileged and underrepresented pupils achieve better results. It is more important than ever for progressive policies to stand by the families and students who have been denied opportunities in our nation. Specifically, all policies and analyses should purposefully incorporate an explicit race and resource equity perspective, according to researchers, campaigners, and policymakers. This entails, without confusing the two, examining potential effects particularly on communities that do not identify as White or that have high percentages of low-income families.
Preparing all pupils for higher education and the workforce of the future
The nature of work is undoubtedly evolving. In addition to the fact that many professions of the future will be drastically different from those of the past, Americans may also anticipate working longer careers and changing careers and even sectors considerably more frequently.39 It is therefore more crucial than ever that every child receives an education that equips them with the abilities and information required to succeed in a variety of careers.
Raising funding for the country's public schools dramatically
Most states made significant budget cuts to education in response to declining revenue during the Great Recession of 2008–2009.69. About half of the money that schools receive comes from the state, but by 2015, only a few states had reached their pre-recession spending levels.Seventy Though it is rising again, about half of the states still have lower rates than before the recession.701 In some cases, states even decided to lower taxes in the wake of the recession, which made financial restrictions worse by lowering revenue even as the economy recovered.72
Conclusion
Every student should have access to avenues leading to college, jobs supporting a family, and the middle class through the current K–12 educational system in the United States. For some people, this is true, but not for everyone. All stakeholders—parents, educators, legislators, researchers, and advocates—must confront difficult realities if America is ever to have a public education system that offers equal access to these opportunities. A very clear consideration of racial and income justice in policymaking is necessary to move closer to the shared prosperity objective. The removal of institutional, structural, and systemic barriers to opportunity depends on this activity.
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