Strategic Communications and Marketing News Bureau

Obama’s education policies examined in new book

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Midway through President Barack Obama’s second term in office, his signature education initiatives – the Common Core Standards and the Race to the Top program, which provides financial incentives for states to adopt the standards – may be in jeopardy if Congress rescinds funding under the fiscal 2015 budget.

In a new book, prominent scholars reflect on President Barack Obama's impact on education.

In a new book, prominent scholars reflect on President Barack Obama’s impact on education.

While hopes for social change and equality of opportunity ran high when Obama was first elected, six years later education experts view his administration’s performance as a mixed bag of significant achievements and missed opportunities, according to a new book, “The Obama Administration and Educational Reform.”

Obama’s accomplishments as the country’s 44th president have been numerous, as have the challenges posed by societal forces that both catalyzed change and attempted to thwart it, said the book’s editor, Eboni M. Zamani-Gallaher, a professor of higher education and faculty affiliate in the Office of Community College Research and Leadership at the University of Illinois.

“This volume examines the problems, politics and potential solutions extended by the Obama administration that have a dynamic relationship with the educational enterprise,” Zamani-Gallaher said. “The book illustrates the administration’s efforts to advance social policies that elevate educational attainment across the preschool-to-graduate-school pipeline, with different takes on the ambitions, triumphs and adversities that the administration faces.”

Across the book’s 17 chapters, experts examine a broad range of policy issues, including early childhood education, the school-to-prison pipeline, gender-equity policies and gainful employment regulations. The authors also discuss evidence-based programs that address problems overlooked by the federal initiatives.

Since Obama took his first oath of office in January 2009, one of his greatest challenges has been the economic recession. Contributor Debra D. Bragg examines the Great Recession’s influence on Obama’s college completion and economic recovery programs and his strategy for global workforce competitiveness.

Bragg is a Gutgsell Endowed Professor in the College of Education and director of the Office of Community College Research and Leadership, both at Illinois.

Increasing postsecondary access and promoting a college-going culture have been trademarks of the Obama administration and goals of the Common Core Standards for kindergarten through 12th grade achievement. While educators generally applaud Obama’s objectives, some experts believe that the standards focus too much on academic skill development as the means for college attainment, ignoring the needs of urban youth, who lack the family legacies and familiarity with higher education that benefit their more affluent peers.

Contributors Kalinda R. Jones and Robert W. Simmons III, both of Loyola University; Leah A. van Belle of Madonna University; and Gary V. Johnson of Texas Tech University suggest strategies for raising expectations for marginalized students and promoting college-bound cultures in urban schools.

Another of Obama’s priorities is college access and affordability for veterans. Zamani-Gallaher and co-author Shaftone B. Dunklin, a higher education consultant, explore the evolution of federal policy for veterans’ education under the Obama administration.

Zamani-Gallaher and Dunklin also describe promising pilot programs that several colleges have developed with the help of donors to better serve veteran students, who may have unique needs as they readjust to civilian life on college campuses.

Additionally, scholars look at Obama’s efforts to increase diversity and student achievement in science, technology, engineering and mathematics; the Affordable Care Act’s implications for at-risk college students and postsecondary institutions; racial “battle fatigue” in educational settings; Affirmative Action and race-based admissions in higher education; and the uncertain futures of historically black colleges and universities.

“The Obama Administration and Educational Reform” is the 10th volume in the series Advances in Education in Diverse Communities: Research, Policy and Praxis, published by Emerald Group Publishing Ltd.

To reach Eboni M. Zamani-Gallaher, call 217-300-0897; email ezamanig@illinois.edu

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