nclb
Paying teachers more
I feel every child in America should be able to get an excellent education from a talented high-performing teacher. Those kind of teachers come at a high price to his or her employer. Only in free exchange does desired talent get appropriately compensated.
American education reform that will bring this to pass will be school vouchers. I don’t care what the rich think, schools that parents choose and designate as “good” for their children should be accesible despite their income. As Americans, if we can truly create equal opportunity in education, this in the direction we really need to move before the rest of the world leaves us behind. What is the federal saying, “no child left behind?” Well I really mean it, but vouchers will catch up our country’s education and performance.
-Jake
This post was submitted by Jake.
Nationalize Standards
As a teacher, I have embraced our fairly well designed state standards. They provide a framework for each subject area that lays out in a logical way what students should have mastered by the end of each grade level. I realize that these standards are the floor, not the ceiling, and I know that I can teach the concepts in the way that I feel is most appropriate and best for my kids. Thank you to NCLB for standards, now, lets further benefit kids by making them standard from state to state - one set of standards, and one really USEFUL assessment tool. We have a very transient population, so our kids education is full of holes - they have had earth science twice, but no life science, etc. Work with the National Associations and the current state standards to make a good uniform set of standards that can stand the test of time.
This post was submitted by Ms. H.
NCLB Undermines Special Needs Child’s Rights & Undermines IEP
No Child Left Behind has been a nightmare for my child’s Special Education and a huge waste of money and resources. Parents need to be included in determining how and if the alternative testing procedures are appropriate for children with disabilities. Please understand that the testing for children with special needs in Maryland starts in October and goes through March! The tested material takes priority over the Individual Education Plan because teachers are forced to make the alternative tests, pre-test, train and post test the goals so the child passes. In reality, the IEP gets whatever time is leftover. Principals could excuse children but don’t because it is a conflict of interest to THEIR grade on their school. Teachers don’t advocate for children to be excused where it is contraindicated because they are intimidated and threatened with their credentialing. At minimum there needs to be a accessible DOORWAY OUT for children who are being harmed by the weight NCLB takes over the rights to a free and appropriate education that is supposed to be protected by ADD and IDEA. It is tragic to make a child do trial after trial until they can point to the quadrilateral or table of contents on a book when what they really need to master is their speech device and how to say they need help or hello. Furthermore, the children are stressed and are learning failure and to hate school. I also fear good teachers will choose not to work in Special Education because making these alternative tests is ridiculously demanding and frustrating. Thank you.
This post was submitted by Janelle Maldonado-Saad, Ph.D..
NCLB
No child left behind, in theory, is a good pan. However, it does not work. Schools are losing their funding because they cannot fill get all subgroups to the proficient level. States refuse to raise their standards out of fear to lose funding. And most importantly, this act was not created by educators. There are many unreal expectations. Though the general public feels that education needs to reform into a new direction, which I agree to an extent, this is without doubt the wrong direction. Most creativity in the classroom has been watered down in the primary subjects due to the great stresses placed on standardized testing. This plan needs to be re-thought, and educators need to be part of the process.
This post was submitted by D Brandner.
Keep the Heavy Hand of the Federal government out of our k-12 educaitonal system
The best advice I could give Mr. Obama is for him to listen to Diane Ravitch, a scholar far more qualified than I to comment on national educational policy. From where I stand NCLB is just another unjustice unsound govermental mandate that we have to suffer until the Monster collapses from its own weigth and stupidity.
Diane RAVITCH says:
Never before has the heavy hand of the federal government reached so intrusively into every classroom in the nation. And there is little to show for this intrusion.
The Obama administration can get off to a good start by revising NCLB.
First, it should eliminate the goal of universal proficiency by 2014, because it is unattainable. Period. No state or nation has ever achieved 100% proficiency.
Second, it should recognize that the federal government is best at providing accurate information, such as what children in each grade need to know to be abreast of international standards (that is known as the curriculum) and whether our children are meeting those standards (that is, testing); third, the administration should expect states and districts to fashion appropriate reforms and remedies in their schools.
http://www.forbes.com/opinions/2008/11/09/obama-education-president-oped-cx_dr_1109ravitch.html
I hope Mr. Obama has enough sense to listen to Ms. Ravitch; we who are about to die –in the trenches- salute you.
Richard (”Ricardo”) MUNRO
Teacher of English, history and Spanish
Bilingual Certificate of Competence (BCLAD)
Adjunct Faculty (AP Reader) ETS
West High School (Kern HS District)
Home of the Vikings
1200 New Stine Rd
Bakersfield, CA 93309
(661) 832-2822
fax (661) 831-5606
This post was submitted by Richard Munro.
