New Secretary of Education John King wants schools to expand their focus on other subjects such as social sciences, the arts and world languages. The aim is to give students a better well-rounded education.
Today, public officials and private citizens are drafting the regulations of the "Every Student Success Act," which aims to give students a more balanced set of course offerings. King hopes that the new act will allow schools to push for a broader definition of educational excellence.
The new act also offers an opportunity for states and districts to get creative in forming a more comprehensive definition for an excellent education. The new act was passed in December taking the place of the controversial education law of the Bush era.
The previous "No Child Left Behind Act" is an education law that encouraged emphasis on reading and math, typically compromising other subject matters. The main federal education law, which was signed in 2002, required schools to show significant progress in math and reading test scores.
Under the previous law, students are required to take yearly-standardized tests in math and reading from Grade 3 to Grade 8 and once in high school. Standardized tests in science, on the other hand, are required three times from grades 3 to 12.
The previous education law, unfortunately, had the unintentional consequence of narrowing the student curriculum, according to Washington Post. Although the "Every Student Succeeds Act" will still use the same testing schedule, states will have the freedom to set goals for their schools for which they will be held accountable for.
Students with well-rounded education programs have been neglected due to the tight focus on math and reading eventually ignoring other subjects, according to King. Often times, the tight focus could also be blamed on resources, time and money, according to Huffington Post.
Although strong literary and math skills are important for college, careers and success in life, King said they are not enough. Aside from focusing on the arts, world languages and social students, King is also committed to teaching computer science, a reflection of President Barack Obama's concerns in his latest budget proposal.
