Broader, Bolder Approach

Two years ago, EPI (Economic Policy Institute) convened a diverse group of policymakers and scholars who developed and promoted statements calling for a "Broader, Bolder Approach (BBA)" to education policy. BBA is independent, but EPI continues to host its website and provide other logistical support. BBA leaders include Co-Chairs Helen Ladd, Pedro Noguera, and Thomas Payzant, and Advisory Council Co-Chairs Susan B. Neuman and Richard Rothstein.

In brief, BBA:

Warns against attempts to identify the lowest performing schools primarily by their students' test scores on basic math and reading skills.
Cautions that even attempts to measure student "growth" on such tests, although an improvement over student performance data currently in use, will still misidentify low-performing schools and could spur new forms of gaming.
Urges identification of schools needing improvement by qualitative observation and evaluation, as well as by student scores on higher quality tests, and notes that such complex accountability systems can be developed successfully only if states have wide latitude to experiment.
Calls for school accountability that creates incentives to deliver a broad and well-rounded curriculum, including the arts, science, history, health and physical education, and character development.
Applauds Administration support for programs that address health, family and community impediments to learning, but observes that school accountability policy cannot ignore the absence (or presence) of such programs.
Proposes an increase in real federal compensatory education funding for all eligible schools during the current fiscal crisis, not a reduction of such funding in favor of competitive grants.

The Four Pillars of the Broader, Bolder Approach to Education

Educational Reform

The BBA ensures high quality educational reform that emphasizes both basic and higher order skills, including: world languages, professional internships, applied and experimental learning opportunities in technology and community development. The BBA also ensure that school districts:

Deliver engaging and rigorous curriculum aligned with state standards
Develop education strategies that promote the moral, social, and cultural development of students
Prepare all pupils for opportunities, responsibilities, and experiences in our increasingly diverse and knowledge driven world.

Social Services

The BBA centers on the provision of a wide variety of social services to students and their families; including healthcare, comprehensive after school programs, recreation, and psychological and social services. BBA aims to align services and schools in order to achieve:

More effectively utilized services
Coherence and coordination to ensure high quality
Strategic development of new partnerships between schools, city agencies, and community based providers, etc.

Community Engagement

The BBA views community engagement as the inclusion of community members in school decisions, planning, activities, visioning, communication, and other school-related activities. BBA’s community engagement model seeks to create structures and practices that:

Involve parents and community in decision-making
Support parents efforts to help their children be more successful in school
Provide meaningful opportunities for parents and community members to volunteer at the schools
Strengthen parent and teacher collaboration on school based projects
Provide parents with access to education and professional resources

Economic Development

The BBA bridges gaps between the economic needs of communities and those of local businesses and industry: