Alexandria Kicks Off 90th Annual American Education Week

Alexandria kicked off American Education Week on Monday by hosting the nation’s Secretary of Education and a roundtable discussion with leaders from the National Education Association.

In an informal coffee klatch held in the Rotunda Room at , Secretary Arne Duncan spoke with teachers and students about the importance of educators and public education.

In a more structured roundtable discussion, National Education Association President Dennis Van Roekel told students that it’s important to recognize the nation’s approach to education: “I don’t know of any culture in the world that didn’t recognize the value of education, but what makes America unique is that we said ‘education for all.’ We follow the dream of a nation that all students should follow their dream of opportunity.”

Alexandria City Public Schools Superintendent Morton Sherman, who was also part of the roundtable, noted that American education is not just about teachers, but about those librarians, cafeteria workers, secretaries and other staff who can make a child’s life more special.

Sherman told the audience that he asked Duncan when the United States would dispose of the No Child Left Behind Act, which he characterized as well-intentioned but over-prescriptive.

Duncan “shared with me his deep conviction to change that law,” Sherman said, adding that students and others should write a letter to U.S. Rep. Jim Moran (D-8th) and state senators telling them that the law is bad.

One student told the panelists that while standardized testing promotes a basic knowledge as required by the law “we’re not promoted to excel as much as we could be because of standardized testing.”

T.C. Williams junior Miranda Jones, a member of the Superintendent Student Leadership Committee, said she hopes Duncan focuses changes to education on curriculum and keeping with standards. “Students need to learn to ask more and not just take what they’re given,” she said, also referring to problems with the school system’s focus on standardized testing.

Another student said he noticed that many students lose motivation for school once they enter middle and high school.

Van Roekel, who was a high school math teacher for 23 years, said it’s important for educators to identify obstacles in student learning at the lowest grades instead of always trying to correct it later.

Sherman said Alexandria is trying new ways to educate students through novel approaches to learning, such as teaching math by building boats at the Alexandria Seaport Foundation.

He plans to speak with the Board of Education about more online learning, more storefront learning and offering more flexibility to kids who hold jobs, which has become a requirement for many families in this tough economy.

Before the panel discussion, School Board Chairman Sheryl Gorsuch told Patch that public education is a powerful tool to help fix the economy.

Teachers are important to the country’s future and public education has a big role in helping boost the economy on local, state, federal and global levels, she said.

“While countries such as China and India are on a trajectory to surpass us in terms of larger economies based on sheer numbers, we need to have a quality economy,” she said.

Gina Miller, president of the Education Association of Alexandria, which is a member organization of the NEA, was also part of the panel discussion.