Our goals are to connect grads and current students, share ideas and advice, and be inspired. #ElonEd chat brings together experienced teachers and novice teachers to discuss best practices. We see our chat as a way to mentor future teachers who are students at Elon, and anyone who wants to join us in that effort is welcome.
Welcome to the #ElonEd chat! Our goals are to connect grads, current students, fac/staff, and other educators to share ideas and advice and to be inspired.
The #ElonEd moderators this evening are @BFeeley_Elon and @TonyRoseNC. We are both Elon University employees and Board of Education members. We are looking forward to the conversation! Our topic is why #edpolicy matters.
Welcome to the #ElonEd chat! Our goals are to connect grads, current students, fac/staff, and other educators to share ideas and advice and to be inspired.
Before we begin it is important to note that #edpolicy is developed at the federal, state & local levels and they each impact Ss and educators. We will be using a Q1, A1 format to keep the conversation connected. Don’t forget to use #ElonEd each time you tweet.
A1: This is definitely something I want to learn more about! My intuition says that it really takes all of them working together. Federal law is great but is meaningless unless implemented. #Eloned
In many cases the federal level is the least impactful of the three but it is not always the case. For example special ed policy at federal level is very important #eloned
A1: all three levels are impactful... the most intentional and insightful are most often made at the local and then state levels because they're closer to the Ss, Ts, and communities; one size does not fit all... #ElonEd
A1: depends on definition of "impactful." IDEA was "impactful" and was federal. Same with Title I. Current "reprieve" for K3 class size was impactful, but was state. Talk to any charter school person, they'll tell you most is state and local for impact. #ElonEd#edpolicy#ncpol
A1: I think local is pretty impactful as you often see teachers being apart of or at these meetings. Feels like not too many teachers take part in the policy that comes at the federal or state level. Just my opinion! #ElonEd
A1 also depends on the money trail and enforcement. If policy comes from law or mandates that are funded, makes a huge difference. What happens when local policy defies federal law? #eloned
A1: I believe the most impactful #edpolicy decisions are made at the state level (b/c states differ so much), then the local level (b/c it's quicker and easier to implement), and lastly the federal #eloned
A1: Decisions are made across all levels. Teachers, myself included, need to voice our opinions and get involved because we know best what happens in a classroom on a day to day basis. #ElonEd
A2: At my high school they switched the bell schedule around every year. I could tell teachers didn't have a large impact b/c it cut their planning time, increased class sizes, etc. #eloned
A2: I haven't done enough research to note this, but from the little I have...it seems as if NCLB was made with less input than ESSA has offered to educators across the nation. Am I wrong? Slightly showing my age, I was still in HS when NCLB was signed. #ElonEd#ncpol#edpolicy
I got this impression when visiting educational advocacy in D.C. over winter term! @ElonEdFellows@jeffpcarpenter hooked us up with some awesome site visits #ElonEd
In reply to
@dc_price, @TonyRoseNC, @ElonEdFellows, @jeffpcarpenter
A1: Decisions are made across all levels. Teachers, myself included, need to voice our opinions and get involved because we know best what happens in a classroom on a day to day basis. #ElonEd
A2(b): The current "Class size chaos" mess from both last year and this year. Neither year had much input from teachers. The only reason anything "moved" in the chambers this year was because of the parents who raised hell, on behalf of the teachers. #ElonEd#edpol#ncpol#nced
A2: Initial rollout of class size law in N.C. is a good example. The intention (low class sizes) was positive but not enough input from local districts about HOW to implement it. #ElonEd
In reply to
@Courtintheclass, @dc_price, @TonyRoseNC, @ElonEdFellows, @jeffpcarpenter
A3: Definitely get involved. I think some might shy away from getting involved because they don’t necessarily feel knowledgable and they don’t always feel heard when they are involved. But… strength in numbers. Also VOTE, always exercise your right to vote. #ElonEd
A3. Vote, educate yourself on policies, attend board and council meetings, talk with your elected officials and those appointed. You may think they are out of reach, but they aren't. They work for you. #ElonEd#Alamnace4ED
A3: Go to meetings, know who your reps are, know what the upcoming topics are that will impact you, have an opinion, use your voice! Talk to reps when they visit schools, invite them to your classroom... #ElonEd
It's intimidating at first...but actually schedule and meet with them! OR...have them out to your school. I've done both, and they have both been fabulous experiences. #ncpol#nced#Eloned@dcraighorn@GraigMeyer
In reply to
@BFeeley_Elon, @dcraighorn, @GraigMeyer
A3. Vote, educate yourself on policies, attend board and council meetings, talk with your elected officials and those appointed. You may think they are out of reach, but they aren't. They work for you. #ElonEd#Alamnace4ED
A3: I think it's easy for teachers to feel like small fish in a big pond, especially when dealing with policy. Sometimes you just need to find your school of other "fish" with the same ideas and keep swimming until you make a difference! #ElonEd#persistence
i don’t necessarily have a problem w/ SOME policies being made at the top as long as the people at the top seem to have some sense of the realities of schools & occasionally listen to the voices of teachers #eloned
In reply to
@nathan_stevens, @dc_price, @Courtintheclass
A3: Don't hesitate to ASK. The majority of my expriences with those in #edpolicy decision-making roles has been because I asked. I got to shadow @DrJuneAtkinson for a day. I met talked with @dcraighorn about PreK on the phone. ASK. ASK. ASK! #ElonEd#ncpol#nced
In reply to
@BFeeley_Elon, @DrJuneAtkinson, @dcraighorn
i don’t necessarily have a problem w/ SOME policies being made at the top as long as the people at the top seem to have some sense of the realities of schools & occasionally listen to the voices of teachers #eloned
In reply to
@nathan_stevens, @dc_price, @Courtintheclass
A3: I think sometimes the first step is just realizing we have a voice. Too often we feel we must be "above the fray" but we should be using our voices, writing and voting on what is needed in our students' lives, schools and community. #eloned
So whether that's joining a think tank or doing advocacy work like @Courtintheclass said, I think it's important to find ways to collaborate with others! #ElonEd
Absolutely! And we have some fabulous partners in education, like @HSG_NC@HSG_Ed , whose partnerships are meant to elevate teacher voices. #nced#ncpol#ElonEd
A3: I think sometimes the first step is just realizing we have a voice. Too often we feel we must be "above the fray" but we should be using our voices, writing and voting on what is needed in our students' lives, schools and community. #eloned
A3: Inform parents about policy-makers and policy-making procedures, especially when there are decisions being made that affect their children. Parents are powerful advocates. #ElonEd
It can be posting student voices about what they want. Sometimes people out there need examples of what is needed. Sharing is important #eloned@MrDpasion
In reply to
@brogers_20, @Courtintheclass, @MrDpasion
A3; know your reps, email your reps, attend public info sessions when asked for feedback, and vote! It is easy to feel insignificant in regards to #edpolicy but teachers should be leaders in this area #ElonEd
Professional organizations arrange days to meet with legislators in their offices, but all elected officials are willing to meet with constituents in their districts. #ElonEd
opportunities are there, effort has to be made to do it. Was able to speak with @arneduncan while he was Sec. of Ed about fed policies and programs, and spend day at Dept of Ed. Opportunities exist. #ElonEd
In reply to
@jeffpcarpenter, @dc_price, @BFeeley_Elon, @DrJuneAtkinson, @dcraighorn, @arneduncan
A4 more real classroom visits that aren't photo opps. Go into a classroom and be a student to see what is happening. Learning is about being a participant #eloned
A4: Any and all policies that support children and families before they set foot in K-12 schooling. Without a strong foundation, it's all a game of catch-up. #ElonEd
A4. Recognizing the implicit bias and sometimes explicit violence that occur in our systems of power and creating policy to change that. Suspension rates of SOC and "achievement gap" for example. #ElonEd
That’s good feedback. Thanks for sharing that perspective. I can see where sometimes gen ed training is overlooked in areas where we have specialization. #ElonEd
A4: equitability in funding at the district level; which ultimately will affect teacher and principal pay as well. Our current set up is slightly (if not heavily) antiquated. #ElonEd#ncpol#nced
Obviously being at a charter school puts me in this category; but I long to partner my voice for advocacy with the public schools to champion why they should get the same benefits of calendar flex as I do. #ElonEd#ncpol#nced
A4: Repeal the "calendar law". Could write a dissertation here, but I think most of us understand why breaking for the holidays and then taking exams is counterintuitive and don't forget about that AP exam schedule. #eloned
A4: Frustrating that lots of improvements tend to circle back to money but having the necessary funding is crucial. Ex: teach technology without tech resources (I am lucky—I have Chromebooks but not all my colleagues do and therefore are limited). #ElonEd
@BFeeley_Elon@TonyRoseNC is there any chance that you would let a future educator like myself shadow one of you for a day? Trying to get an idea of all the policy that goes on within education and think it's best to by experiencing it firsthand! No worries if not! #ElonEd
A4: it would be amazing if there were common student teaching observation protocols for more shared mentoring and feedback across all institutions for all school clinical experiences. I know local peeps don't appreciate intervention but it would be beneficial!#eloned
A4: Class size. I almost ran out of desks last semester. Class size makes a HUGE difference for both the Ss and Ts. Everything I can think of stems from funding though. Investing money in the right places is important. #ElonEd
A4. Recognizing the implicit bias and sometimes explicit violence that occur in our systems of power and creating policy to change that. Suspension rates of SOC and "achievement gap" for example. #ElonEd
@BFeeley_Elon@TonyRoseNC is there any chance that you would let a future educator like myself shadow one of you for a day? Trying to get an idea of all the policy that goes on within education and think it's best to by experiencing it firsthand! No worries if not! #ElonEd
Yes! If the student teacher relationship is one of the defining factors of how students will do in class, it stands to reason that we need more teachers/fewer students in class to cultivate those authentic relationships. #eloned
A5: class size with support, guidance, and funding - can lead to greater equity/access, but needs consistency and guidance bc class size alone will not make a difference - what Ts do instructionally in that class matters #Eloned
Excellent point! That is not minor Robin. It is an area of board focus. Please let someone know if you have non-functioning facilities. If no resolution, escalate! #ElonEd
Q7: Last Q was about local. Now lets discuss federal: Q: What is the single #edpolicy change that you think could have the biggest impact on improving our educational system in the U.S.A? #ElonEd
A7: policy that supports all Ss (All means all) and provides funding to do what it takes to ensure all students succeed at all levels (pre-school to graduation)... kids have to be seen as OUR responsibility and no blaming... do the work @iamwesmoore#Eloned
