First Day of Site Visits!!

Yesterday, I had a small mishap with my camera and accidentally deleted all of the photos I had taken of the Urban Education seminar.  Luckily, I learned a few new tricks with photo recovery software and am able to provide you, the audience, with a peek into our day.

Drew sharing some knowledge with us

We started off the day with a discussion on the progression of education policy from our fearless leader, Professor Drew Stelljes.  From the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) to the 2001 No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, to the recently passed Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA); we took a walk through the origins and evolution of federal involvement in U.S. education.  It was an enlightening class where we discussed much of the failures and good intentions stemming from the accountability measures implemented by policy members.

Basking in the greatness of the U.S. Department of State

The U.S. Department of Education was the first of many stops on our journey to a better understanding education policy.  Hosted by an expert in STEM, we learned about many ways in which the federal government is funding education.  Many seminar participants celebrated the diverse academic and professional background of those who work on flagship programs, such as Promise Neighborhoods.  It was reassuring to hear about employees’ commitment to education and those are directly affected by these policies.

W&M alum, Dwight Weingarten, shares his experiences as a first year teacher

Visiting Cesar Chavez Public School offered us an inside look at the experience of some teachers in one of the D.C. public charter schools.  History teacher, and William & Mary alum, Dwight Weingarten shared his highs and lows of teaching for the first time.  He described the experience as an overall positive one in which he learned a lot about himself and his students.  I have to say, the most impactful part of our visit was meeting a man who was able to pursue his passion successfully after graduation.

The day ended with a freezing moonlight tour of the monuments, where I mistakenly deleted all of my photos.  It was a harsh experience, but looking back, a memorable one.  We look forward to what the rest of the week has to offer, and we hope you look forward to reading about it!  Catch ya later!

~Kiara Earle ’16