First Bell: The No Child Left Behind waiver, the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act and other things I’m learning about

• I’m learning more about No Child Left Behind — specifically, what it means for Kansas classrooms now that it’s one of 32 states that don’t have to comply with it.

This is the first school year that the waiver has been in effect, so it’s stlll early in terms of curriculum changes. But it is clear that gone are the days of Adequate Yearly Progress. Schools will now assess students and teachers under several, broader measurements.

I hope to have more details about what this all means for the kids and their assessment schedules soon.

• Another topic of change I’m exploring is the implications of the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act. That’s a piece of federal legislation that was written in 2010 and came into effect July 1. It’s a lot of policy to read, so I’m trying to get more information about how it’s changing the food served.

• On the national level, I’ve seen a lot of online reaction to a recent New York Times op-ed that questions the need to teach algebra. In it, Andrew Hacker, an emeritus professor of political science in New York, argues that mandatory mathematics education may deplete resources too heavily and push students to disengage or even drop out. It’s a very nuanced argument, but a lot of the reaction seems to be of the “well, why not just stop teaching literature? or set theory?” sort.

I know my extremely word-focused brain struggled with algebra in school, but could that have had more to do with the way math is taught? It’s an interesting discussion.

• I’m extending my getting-to-know-you tour of schools in Lawrence to Bishop Seabury Academy next week. I’ll be having lunch with the kids and some administrators on Thursday. I covered their graduation ceremony this year and was impressed with their closeness as a community, so it should be fun.

• I’ll get the first full-day attendance numbers for all grades Monday. (Pre-K starts then.) It won’t be the official enrollment count, but it might give us an idea of how many kids will be in the public schools this year.

• As always, if you have anything you’d like to teach me, send me an email at acgarrison@ljworld.com.