With the innocuous title of "No Child Left Behind," children, schools, districts, local school boards, and state departments of education find themselves in the grip of a governmental program that leaves them all behind the proverbial "eight ball." The act, No Child Left Behind, is but another example of how Republicans continue to violate the very principles that "separate" them from the Democrats. The Republican promise of smaller government, less interference in matters of the states, and fewer unfunded mandates is a sham when viewed in light of this Act.
For those of you who may be unfamiliar with the provisions of No Child Left Behind, please accept the following thumbnail sketch. First and foremost, the Act is presented as a means of promoting educational reform. To achieve reform, schools must improve accountability. Schools are held accountable for the acheivement, or lack thereof, of the students that they serve. Every State in the Union, acting through their respective State Department of Education, must set forth a plan to measure student achievement. Invariably, States have chosen to initiate a statewide testing program. All students are tested, re-tested, and tested again every school year. Once these results are obtained and reported to the Federal government, some schools demonstrate that they have made Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) based upon these test scores. Sadly, some schools do not meet criteria for AYP and are marked as "failing schools" with failing students who are subjected to failing programs taught by failing teachers employed by failing districts who report to failing school boards which report to State Boards of Education who have failed to meet Federal standards of progress.
A major contributing factor to a "failed school" is the stubborn insistence on the part of the Republican authors of this Act to test students with disabilities! Students demonstrating severe reading disabilities, mental retardation, physical handicaps, health problems, visual / hearing deficits, autism, emotional disturbances, behavior disorders, severe attention deficits w/ hyperactivity MUST take the same statewide achievement tests as their non-handicapped age peers. NO consideration is given to the fact that these same students are labelled "disabled" because they fail a battery of individually administered psychological evaluations (i.e., IQ tests), achievement tests, health screenings, speech / language tests, and measures emotional well-being. In deference to the fact that students with disabilities don't "measure up" to established norms, they are provided accommodations which are thought to ease the rigors of test taking. These "accommodations" may include: more time to take the test; have directions or portions of the test read aloud; permit testing in an alternate environment which has fewer distractions than a classroom of 30; and/or allowing a scribe to write down the student's response. Aside from these accommodations, the test items themselves must remain unchanged. Although students with disabilities represent approximately 12% of the general school population, they often unintentionally contibute to 100% of a school's designation as a "failing school." More than 85% of disabled students fail these achievement tests in spite of accommodations. Students who are known to fail tests are expected to take similar types of tests and then, of course, they fail again! Many who do not or cannot pass this test are not permitted to graduate. Failing students equal a failing school.
When schools fail, they are placed on a State watch list. While on the "watch list," schools are subjected to a myriad of school improvement programs: consultants, curriculum revisions, staff development programs, and endless monitoring reports on progress. If schools continue to "fail," they may run the risk of being taken over by the State which will, in effect, run the school or the district housing the school. If the State Department of Education "fails" to improve these schools, they themselves face the loss of Federal funding for all programs. Many States have adopted a pet program which is touted by Republicans and offer vouchers to the parents of their failing schools. This voucher entitles the parent to receive funds which enable them to remove their child from the failing school. This voucher is a transfer of public education tax dollars once sent to the failing school now sent to the parent. The parent then has the choice to enroll their child in a private or charter school. For the most part, wealthy parents use the voucher to offset the tuition charged by private schools. For poorer parents, no voucher can ever cover the cost of private tuition. Many children are left behind!
Students fail, schools fails, local school boards fail, State Boards of Education fail and the Federal Government succeeds in seizing authority away from local education agencies and school board members who are duly elected by their local citizenry.
In light of a variety of issues that capture the attention of voters this fall. Education may not be as "sexy" as the war, health care, tax reform, congressional scandals, immigration, global warming, national security, the economy, pork barrel spending, corporation mismanagement, or the minimum wage BUT education more than any other issue impacts our future as a nation. Our children are our future. They should not be left behind at the voting booth. The No Child Left Behind will be up for renewal during the next Congressional session. Without a doubt, it will be renewed by the uneducated Congressional leaders who prefer to remain blind to its effects. It is your job to educate them. VOTE!
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Comments: 28
yes, in order to be classified as having a disability that interferes with education, the disability also likely interferes with academic achievement.
another problem that is caused by the federal government's failure to enforce the law: illegal immigration. i live in arizona. we have many spanish-speaking people and because families who crossed into the united states are also ducking government programs that might help them (such as esl), they are not blending into our communities well. and several students (and families) have difficult educational experiences because of moving, language, cultural background differences.
and where's the funding for this?
I do not like the idea of my tax dollars supporting the public school system and also providing money for vouchers for children to go to a different school outside of their neighborhood because it is substandard.
That makes NO sense to me at all...One dose not have to be a rocket scientist to figure out there is some serious bad management going on...who voted these people on the school boards anyway?
The only way I feel we would even be able to bring a lot of substandard schools up to par is with the help of the federal government....there are too many areas too poor with low tax support to make it work any other way...We moved around a lot when we were raising the children and most of the time we rented a house in an upscale neighborhood, one we could not afford to buy in, so that our kids would be going to the best schools....
the taxes of wealthy neighborhoods, that support the schools provide the better programs - always have and always will - unless our federal government can provide the monies to make it happen.
Recently it was announced that several millions of dollars were provided outside of the state of WA to assist voucher schools, by the Bill Gates Foundation - the sad part of this story is the fact that the money was going outside the state because vouchers are not allowed in the state of WA.....Has anyone questioned why the foundation would support the voucher system and not help to correct the local districts? (of which they are closing several schools and it has a real controversy and angry parents about the situation...) Just a small for instance in the Seattle school district, there are several schools that still have water delivered to drink in the schools, because the water pipes are so bad...even tho a law was passed several years ago to get them repaired....this is a small example of how poorly our school systems are run compared to a political party getting the word out or the add on television....SAD BUT TRUE....
Some state legislatures, professional teacher, principal, and superintendent organizations, and school board groups have filed law suits in an attempt to get rid of No Child Left Behind but, to my knowledge, these have failed or will take so ling to be heard that we will have to continue to live under its choking grip.
I am not tooting my own horn, but if you like this article e-mail it to candidates and incumbents. I am not letting Democrats off the hook. Some have voted for this Act. I am sending it to my Congressional candidates. to Lou Dobbs on CNN, and John McCain. I just feel I have to say something.
If you want to find out how your candidates stand on this issue, try the web site
"don'tvote.com" sponsored by the AARP. It has complete access to candidate websites.
while in general i understand your point you should know that there many of us with "fire in our bellies" about education in differing areas and for different reasons.. there have been a LOT of undereducated kids coming out of the schools the last couple decades.. industry remedial training even for college students is becoming the NORM... and it should not be. If the states won't do it, craven to the teacher unions and universities then someone has to.. (not saying the idiots in Washington are getting it right by any means though!)..
See an excerpt of an article I posted below.
TIME
TO GET SMART ON EDUCATION
..."In a recent test given to freshmen and then seniors by the
Intercollegiate Studies Institute, the scores were about the same on
civics, government and history questions.
Only 47 percent of the students could identify the phrase "We hold
these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal" as
being in the Declaration of Independence.
This is alarming. Seniors in the 7,173 randomly selected students at
25 colleges and universities did no better than the freshmen.
In fact, at Yale, Cornell and Brown, seniors scored lower than
freshmen. But on the positive side, they all learned how to stage a
protest over Bush's policies and post drinking pictures on Facebook.
I am proud to say that Memphis' Rhodes College scored the best.
The lowest-scoring school in this survey, the University of
California-Berkeley (the Fighting Birkenstocks), finished at the
bottom...."
I totally agree that the state of our univeristy education needs reform but I hope you will consider the roots of that education - our public schools. The acheivement tests that I had referred to include math, written language, and reading competency. A student's knowledge of U.S. History, Science, Ethics, Civics, and/or the Humanities are not addressed or assessed! The ultimate result of emphasizing the basic skills in these achievement tests is that teachers emphasize "teaching to the test." I am aware that many schools spend 9 -12 weeks of the school year preparing students to take these acheivement tests, reviewing basic skills. Principals and teachers are well-aware of the consequences of not making AYP. So if our college kids are not adequately prepared to meet the challenges that face our democracy in a changing world, to engage in critical thinking, to understand the mistakes of history in order that they do not repeat them - point the finger back at their elementary and secondary education. Now more than ever.....
If the teachers had been producing students that could read, write, do basic math (such as MAKE CHANGE!), then there would have been no need to "teach to the test" and as odd as it sounds if they ARE teaching the basics even "to the test" at LEAST the kids are being exposed to the material. Some will get it.
This a a FAILURE of academia on all levels that has brought this on, make no mistake.
(usual disclaimer applies about the idiots in Washington)
As for those school board officials, WE elect them. Many school boards here spend money unwisely, giving themselves lavish offices and taking trips paid for by the taxpayers. This gets what for our children? Attend some meetings and make your voice heard. Vote them out if you don't think they're doing a good job.
The foundation is a private entity, which can spend its money where it chooses. You can't compel a private entity to donate to a particular public program. In other parts of the country (including Boston) the foundation has provided funds directly to public schools.
maybe before. It continues in to the day,
and the trend line has been to the steady
consolidation of central power and control.
"No Child Left Behind" is really the first
unbridled order that can be justifiably
termed a "bureacratic mandate." (Let's
set racial integration aside for the moment
to pursue this issue.)
A bureacratic mandate differs from an
order in that the intent of a bureacratic
mandate is to reinforce or increase the
power of the authorities. In this case,
it is the power of the federal government
that is being served.
Still, we have no choice but to argue the
the policy, NCLB, based on its merits.
At the same time, educators must ask
themselves some of the toughest
questions; namely, "What could we
be doing differently that would take the
air out of the balloons of the critics?"
In other words, the critics (who seem
today to be in line with Jeb Bush and
the extreme right of the New South,
George Bush and the Evangelicals,
and Rush Limbaugh's legions) need
ammunition. They only attack and
detract; rarely do they make things
better.
Finally, don't forget, many teachers
are at ideological odds with the
X-treme Right of the GOP. From
the X point of view, just keeping
liberal teachers at bay while the
X-RT of the GOP has its run is
something of a victory in itself.
We had the same problem with the Minneapolis Schools.
Nice rhetoric
AVERAGE PUBLIC SCHOOL PER PUPIL EXPENDITURE: $8,922
AVERAGE PRIVATE SCHOOL TUITION: $4,689
http://www.edreform.com/index.cfm?fuseAction=section&pSectionID=15&cSectionID=97
Give a voucher for half of what government spends. Then we will improve education and save money at the same time!
Nationwide, public school teachers are almost twice as likely as other parents to choose private schools for their own children, the study by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute found. More than 1 in 5 public school teachers said their children attend private schools.
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20040922-122847-5968r.htm
I guess they must be considered wealthy.
Oh, please! Let's talk school finance! Per pupil expenditure does not follow the child into the public school classroom! It goes to pay for salaries, administrative costs, and benefits. It pays for anything and everything that cannot be offset by capital projects fund accounts which are dedicated to building maintenence, bussing, and upkeep. Nice distortion!
Perhaps teachers have a greater insight into the workings of the public schools which may influence their decision to enroll their children in a private school. Perhaps teachers perfer an environment where their children can be taught in smaller classes, values, arts, humanities, and OOOOOH! maybe even "religion."
Which school did you go to? Half of what the government spends will not cover the "average private school tuition." Check the Math!
Private schools have administrative costs. They pay teachers and provide benefits. They manage to do so at ABOUT HALF the cost. My math is fine. The averages are not an exact science. Not to mention the numbers fluxuate from year to year for both private and public education. It's an approximation which I'm assuming most readers can figure out.
Also, fewer students means fewer schools, fewer administrators, fewer teachers, coucelers, desks, books, etc. Which means LOWER cost.
As far as teachers puting their children in private school, you right. I have no problem with them trying to find the best education for their children. The point was private school is not just for the wealthy. Hence the last sentence in my post. Vouchers can provide a better education for the average family.
What was the "OOOOOH!" for when bringing up religion? I see no mention of religion in my post. But if you want to discuss that aspect, you ought to comment on it further.
BTW, I went to government schools. Not that it really matters.
The big city near me spends over 13,000 per pupil and there schools are terrible. The county I live in have some of the best schools in the state and spend around 8,000. And again private schools spend less on average.
I don't really see your point. To me it seems a bit of a stretch to extrapolate your local situation into a conclusion on the national level.
I have to agree with you on your earlier statement. We need to get the feds out of the education business. This will provide for many different approaches toward education and will then make educational situations on the local level much more relevant.
I certainly agree with you that private schools also have administrative costs but as you must know, many of these private schools are supported by funding from other sources. Catholic schools, for example, receive funding from their diocese and from the Church. When and if costs go up, parents' tuition costs go up. Parents also participate in an endless string of fund raisers in an attempt to make up for what their Church cannot contribute. Some parents simply cannot keep up.
With respect to the disparity on per pupil expenditure between city and suburban schools which was raised by Joe T., there is an answer to be found in the nature of State funding of education. Public schools are funded, primarily, by property taxes. The more the money generated by property tax, the greater the amount of money returned to the locale. I suspect that you have a much lower property tax base in the county that you live in when compared to schools in big cities. I also suspect that your schools are the best in the state owing to many more variables than money alone. You are fortunate to have smaller classes, more dedicated and committed teachers, a tight-knit, supportive community, and a board made up of community member who have made quality education for the young people in your community a priority. You are fortunate indeed! BUT, lest I repeat myself, if your school should happen to fail to make the Annual Yearly Progess criteria as outlined in the federal No Child Left Behind,Act, your school and its governance will be taken away from you. Believe me, sir, it can happen and does happen. If you wish to continue this dialouge, I will be glad to send you descriptions of incidents where very good rural schools have been placed in jeapordy by No Child Left Behind.
I am not convinced that vouchers are the answer. A parent who elects to send their child to a private school gets less than the per pupil expenditure allocated to their resident district. Vouchers represent the basic school "grant" (i.e., the state average per pupil) LESS the property tax credit provided to the school district as a whole. Parents with or without vouchers are not relieved of their property tax burden which goes into the State coffers to support education for the entire State. Parents who now elect to send their child to a private school have a "double whammy" - they pay tuition AND property tax which supports the very state funded public schools that they would like their children to avoid. The answer to "reforming" public schools must come from the State and changing the State funding formulas which cause the disparities that both you and Joe T. have identified. Ultimately, education is a State function and should not be "controlled" or directed by the Federal Government. That is the point of my article.
Regarding my "OOOOH" religion comment, the teaching of or mention of religion in our public school system is TABOOOOH! As you must be aware, invoking "God" during public school graduation ceremonies is forbidden by "law." Similarily, students cannot be required to say the Pledge of Allegiance if they object to the words "one nation under God." If they refuse to say the Pledge, they can leave the classroom while their classmates recite it or they can sit down in their seats while others around them stand with their hands over thier hearts. What if the local school board mandated the recitation of the Pledge? In addition to the Feds staying out of education, they should take the courts with them. As you say, this may be a subject for another thought provoking article. Thanks for your interest. At least I know I have met people who do care about education as an issue in the up-coming election.
I agree with you that NCLB is not the answer. It is merely Federal government assuming more power not granted to it by the Constitution. They usually screw things up more than the fix them.
I still can't see this being a funding issue. I believe we pay more than any other nation and yet are far from the best in results. One problem is with the system. We have a one-sized fits all mentality controlled by people far removed from the classroom.
Private schools have much more flexibility. There are private schools specifically setup to help problem children. Others focused on the gifted. It's hard (if not impossible) for a government system to do that.
Another problem is with the parents. They are often disengaged. They are told what their kids will attend, what teachers they will get. They are offered no (or very little) voice in the curriculum. I can remember getting an absolutely aweful (tenured) teacher in my high school. My mother (who was a teacher at another school) went through hell to get me switched out of that class.
When parents can switch schools (taking voucher money with) then schools will be more responsive. Vouchers simply give parents more choices.
Private schools usually pay teachers less the public schools. But they can still get quality teachers by providing a better quality evironment. Teaching are a hard job and they can fire teachers who aren't able to or unwilling to teach the children. That is next to impossible in the public schools.
With the teacher's unions being so powerful in Congress, I don't see any amount of money being sufficient. As a former teacher union president once said, "When students pay union dues, the union will represent students."
Yes schools need money. But they have money (lots of it!). The answers lie in correcting the system, more money won't do that.
We spend so much time teaching kids with "cultural awareness","diversity "programs, "alternative lifestyle awareness, and how to put condoms on cucumbers that we don't have time to teach them to read, write and do math.
Funny, the left doesn't want religious groups involved in charity if govt funds are involved....but has no problem with public schools teaching my child social and moral ideas that may be in direct opposition to my beliefs?
When our schools TAUGHT, students learned.
In fact, the awareness had to be taught because so many children are and were being bullied by the others. Minority groups don't always get treated fairly so there had to be awareness of this diversity. I don't know what the answers are. As someone who has been in education I have to say it would be better if we stuck to the basics and taught the children how to succeed. There is plenty of time in college or trade school to learn how to work with all kinds of people.
I just could not resist one more comment.... I am about to "blow" my cover. I am a teacher w/ 30 years of experience. Believe me, if the teachers' unions were "so powerful in Congress" as you allege, there would be NO "No Child Left Behind." To the point, since the passage of No Child Left Behind the Federal involvement has increased by +50%. Increased involvement has come with a price tag. Federal spending on education under President Bush's administration alone has grown by +39%. This increase in funding has gone into educational grants which are the "pork-barrell" life line of universities while we, in public elementary and secondary education are "digging around in the sty" to find money to make up for what federal unfunded mandates require us to do "suck" money out of our local coffers! You like vouchers! I like small, rural public schools! You like private schools! I like public schools! You like a parent voice in the day to day operation of the school! I like to vote in responsive school board members who are accountable to the entire community! You like "tomatoes." I like "to-mah-toes." VOTE for your candidates that promise to rid your local education community of Federal control of education! On this, I know we can agree :)
"VOTE for your candidates that promise to rid your local education community of Federal control of education!"
I did where I could. Unfortunately that eliminates most of the candidates on the ballot.