Policy+&+Legislation

=Policy & Legislation Relevant to Place-based Education =  Much of the current policy and legislation occurs within individual states, and often, policy does not explicitly state 'place-based education.' Yet, many acts (locally and nationally) have the potential to provide national support and grounding for Place-based Education. In the first section of this page, examples of individual states' policy is explore. In the second section, national policy's potential support of PBE is explored.

=Individual State Policy/Legislation = 

Alaska:
 Alaska Onward to Excellence (AOTE) and Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative (AKRSI) are mutually funded by the Meyer Memorial Trust and are implemented in Alaska. They are adopted by school districts to create partnerships between schools and communities. The AOTE and AKRSI are funded by the National Science Foundation and directed by the University of Alaska at Fairbanks. The Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative works to involve indigenous ways of learning into the formal education system. In other words, AKRSI engages the community in local education through the involvement of native culture, language, and integration into curriculum. Alaska Onward to Excellence promotes school districts to “work closely with community stakeholders (parents, elders, other community members and students) to establish a mission and student learning outcomes.”

(1999). Alaska onward to excellence & Alaska rural systematic inititive. American Youth Policy Forum. http://www.aypf.org/publications/rmaa/pdfs/Alaska.pdf

Michigan:
 In Michigan, grassroots movements for PBE are growing, especially in Detroit. As Hans Barbe (running for the State Senate in District 2) says in answer to the question //" // //What's a better solution: finding revenue or cutting costs to meet Michigan's public education budget? How would you do it?" // 

"Both cutting costs and finding revenue are important strategies to pursue. Firstly, we must reprioritize our budget: currently we spend more on our prison system than our school system, which is absolutely appalling. But second, and in my more important, we must STOP TEACHING FOR TESTS because they are connected to funding. Teaching for math and science tests in order to get more money is not an education, that's nothing more than obedience training. What we need is "place-based" education: where lesson plans are designed around critical thinking and problem solving in the local community, like how to deconstruct a blighted home or farm a vacant lot. You will see parental involvement, one of the root issues behind our education crisis, improve when the education system itself takes an active interest in the local community of which it is a part." http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/news/politics/wayne_senate/senate-district-2,-hans-barbe

 Connections between Michigan and Alaska:
 Alaska represents a unique (and in our opinion) well done plan to support Place-Based education in the classroom. According to the Russian Mission School in the Lower Yukon (http://rsm.loweryukon.org/PlaceBasedEducation), place-based education has lead to significant improvement in test scores. Like Michigan, Alaska is a state that has a variety of environments- from urban to rural- each state is supported partially through the tourist industry and each state is grounded in nature and it's environment. From the Upper Peninsula all the way to Grand Rapids and Detroit, Michigan has a lot to learn from the new millennial Alaskan attitude toward education.

=National Policy =

No Child Left Behind:
The reauthorization of NCLB through the Obama Administration offers many opportunities to potentially support place-based education. Below is the general outline of the reauthorization document. The Bolded points are the goals of the reauthorization, and the underlined principles, in our opinion, align directly with the goals and benefits of PBE.


 * College and Career Ready Students**
 * __Raising standards for all students__
 * Better assessments
 * __A complete education__
 * Great Teachers and Leaders in Every School**
 * __Effective Teachers and Principals__
 * Our best teaches and leaders where they are needed most
 * __Strengthening teacher and leader preparation and recruitment__
 * Equity and Opportunity for all Students**
 * Rigorous and fair accountability for all levels
 * __Meeting the needs of diverse learners__
 * __Greater equity__
 * Raise the Bar and Reward Excellence**
 * Fostering a Race to the Top
 * Supporting effective public school choice
 * __Promoting a culture of college readiness and success__
 * Promote Innovation and Continuous Improvements**
 * __Fostering Innovation and accelerating success__
 * __Supporting, recognizing and rewarding local innovations__
 * __Supporting student success__

Resources and More Information:

 * 1) Duncan, A. Martin, C. (2010) A Blueprint for Reform: the Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. U.S. Department of Education.