Alternate curriculum proposal for free and (more) appropriate public education (AltFAPE)
Where "free" best means "costless" or "as close to costless to administer as possible",
and "more appropriate" best means "better fit" or more boldly "best fit",
and "public" best means "generally available" or "generally accessible",
and "education" best means "teaching program that prepares minors for adulthood",
and "alternative" best means "non-mainstream" or "non-traditional",
and "curriculum" best means "content delivery plan" or "training design",
and "proposal" best means "suggestion" or "collection of suggestions".
The above prescribed definition is, so far as can be discerned:
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aligned with the US Department of Education's purported mission "to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access" for its holistic view,
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not aligned with the underlying motives of the Common Core State Standards which were "designed to ensure that students graduating from high school are prepared to take credit bearing introductory courses in two- or four-year college programs or enter the workforce" due to its narrow objective, and
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is intended to apply to much broader circumstances than the original context from which FAPE can be found (especially with regard to target audience). To provide a general overview of this:
Section 504 FAPE - "the provision of regular or special education and related aids and services that are designed to meet individual needs of handicapped persons as adequately as the needs of nonhandicapped persons are met and are based on adherence to procedures that satisfy the requirements of"
IDEA FAPE - "an educational program that is individualized to a specific child, that meets that child's unique needs, provides access to the general curriculum, meets the grade-level standards established by the state, and from which the child receives educational benefit"
Currently, the United States government has a couple of ways of directing educational outcomes and processes:
- assessing, collecting, and dispersing taxes and allocation of other public funds (carrot)
- passing laws, creating supporting regulations, and taking non-compliant parties to court (stick)
Responsibilities are generally divided along the following lines:
- protection of civil rights are regulated at the federal level
- attendance and graduation requirements, testing implementation, curricula development and standards, and authorizing schools are deferred to the states
Funding can come from the federal, state, and local levels. In 2005, 8.5% of public school funds were supplied by the federal government (pending update when government data collection websites are functioning properly). A national curriculum is specifically outlawed.
Legislation recommended for perusal includes:
- 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
- 1974 Equal Educational Opportunities Act (EEOA)
- 1980 Department of Education Organization Act
- (1975 as EAHCA)/1990/1997/2004 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
- 2002 No Child Left Behinds Act (NCLB)
- 2015 Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
- Blaine Amendments (failed federally in 1875 but succeeded and perpetuate at the state level)
In general, each state submits a Consolidated State Application Accountability Workbook (CSA) to the Department of Education for approval. These CSAs list all amendment dates at the beginning and leave the instruction pages in, followed by an outline of "critical elements" with a corresponding self-imposed grade (using the key provided in the instructions) and a breakdown of each element where supporting information regarding "state response and state activities for meeting requirements" may be supplied (explanations, examples of proposed bills and state statutes, performance statistics, etc.). After reviewing each state's progress report, the Department of Education writes letters back to each state informing them of its decision while disclaiming that approval does not indicate that the state's education policies are compliant with federal civil rights laws (i.e. Here are the carrots we are willing to give you, but we have no comments regarding sticks). Though closely related, requests to evaluate each state's standards and assessments (testing) must be made separately by Standards and Assessments Peer Review panel as the Accountability Peer Review panel is only responsible for evaluating Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) of students, schools and districts.
3% of American children are homeschooled with varying degrees of reporting and regulation (https://hslda.org/laws/)
Flow chart representing possible education pathways for some Americans:
