Harvard University professor Richard Elmore kicked off a conference on educational policy by discussing the field's highly disputed No Child Left Behind Act Wednesday night.
The two-day conference ""Education and Educational Research in an Era of Accountability: Insights and Blind Spots"" includes a diverse line-up of lectures at the Pyle Center, 702 Langdon St.
""This conference is set up to highlight policy from many different angles such as philosophy and educational research,"" said UW-Madison graduate student Sarah Roberts, a doctoral candidate in Educational Policy. ""All pieces need to be put together to make a change that is meaningful to students.""
Elmore's lecture was an opening to a conference meant to dissect and redefine what good educational policy should be.
He cited a need for policy that would support strong internal infrastructure in schools, as well as set realistic standards for students and teachers.
Elmore emphasized the need for teamwork in schools, particularly among educators, and for variable standards of achievement for students.
""We cannot have artificial steps too great for any students to take and it cannot just be external focus acting on us,"" said lecture attendee Denise Herrmann, principal of Middleton High School.
Herrmann said she is frustrated over current policy that seems disconnected and difficult for schools to enact.
According to Herrmann, because the federal government will not budge on the No Child Left Behind Act's 2014 deadline for 100 percent school-age proficiency, schools need to self-examine their internal accountability to make up for lack of realistic educational policy.
These issues will be discussed as the conference continues today, beginning at 8:30 a.m. in the Pyle Center. Various UW-Madison educational policy professors will speak on educational reform.
