Get Schooled

By Jeff

January 19, 2007 08:13 AM | Link to this

The report actually DOES list things that could keep us busy for quite a while Bridgette!

Many are issues we’ve gone over and over though..

“Is Teacher Quality the Bridge to Maintaining America’s Global Competitiveness?” ANSWER: Not at all. STUDENT quality is!!

Needed: Technology for Schools and Georgia’s Statewide Student Information System ANSWER: Agreed. At the interview I went to yesterday, they were in the process of putting ActivBoards in every math classroom. A Statewide SIS would allow permanent records to be EASILY transferred, the DAY a student enrolls at a new school. In fact, I don’t know why such a system isn’t already deployed. It is NOT a hard feat to pull off, though training everyone may be a pain.

I’ll leave the rest up to you, Madame Blogmaster. Though the other 8 really are intriguing questions, I don’t want to steal ALL your thunder! :)

By WFC

January 19, 2007 08:33 AM | Link to this

Retired teacher observation: teacher quality has never been much of a priority. As long as a warm body with certification fills a teaching slot, everyone is fairly happy.

By Bridget Gutierrez

January 19, 2007 08:35 AM | Link to this

Jeff: Feel free to choose any of the Top Ten you’re interested in and post away. I didn’t mean to imply that I would blog about the list or the conference for weeks, only that I could.

By jim d

January 19, 2007 08:45 AM | Link to this

Bottom line is that I don’t think its evenly remotely possible to improve education as long as NCLB exists.

I would hope at the end of 07 we could say that we invested in our childrens future by putting education back on track with the abolishment of this farcical legislation. But for that to happen, each and everyone of need to contact our legislators in Washington and demand they not renew NCLB when it comes up this year.

By Jeff

January 19, 2007 08:58 AM | Link to this

jim:

A fine point of law that I’m not familiar with: When a law comes up for re-authorization, does it have to go through the entire process again?

By Jeff

January 19, 2007 09:50 AM | Link to this

OK, I’ll take a page from Mr. Wooten’s “Free for all Friday” book….

Here’s the rest of the topics in the report:

Will Secondary Reform Transform P-16 education?

No Child Left in Traditional Public School… the Proliferation of School Choice

Focusing on the Necessary: Addressing the Achievement Gaps

Is NCLB Dead? Reauthorizing and Changing the Tenets of NCLB

Will Georgia Seize the Opportunity to Fund Schools Differently?

Rising Costs of Higher Education: Who Really Pays?

Can Single Sex Education Improve Achievement?

NCLB goes to Pre-K?

By Lisa B.

January 19, 2007 10:05 AM | Link to this

I notice that school discipline, the number one concern of classroom teachers, did not even make the list. Hmmmmm.

By Lisa B.

January 19, 2007 10:10 AM | Link to this

The elementary school where I teach actually received recognition regarding strides made in closing the achievement gap. I credit our success with small class sizes (less than 18 students), a diverse staff, lots of curriculum ideas, and teamwork. The gap isn’t completely closed, be we have come a long, long way. Students must complete meaningful tasks, but the teacher must have time to interact with the students daily and provide immediate feedback. This can only happen in small classes.

By Atl Native

January 19, 2007 10:11 AM | Link to this

One of the biggest problems facing public education is that the leaders and policy makers do not listen to the parents and community and even attempt to meet their real needs. They throw what little money there is at the wrong problems.

How is a fancy building in a poor area with high crime going to make a child stay in school and learn when they have a horrible home life? We cannot disconnect the two. The money needs to go where it will have the most realistic impact on the children.

In more affluent areas (but still very middle class) they don’t put any money into the infrastructure. Instead they ask the parents to pick up the slack. Thus causing difficulty at home.

In my child’s school in DeKalb county - we have great teachers and administration but what we don’t have are recently published textbooks, computers, decent after school programs, safe and sound buildings, cleaning supplies, etc. The very basics of running a school.

What little we do have - its because the parents are chipping in and paying for or they are each day weighing on the county to provide.

When you speak of school choice — how about just providing some of the basic programs that parents want across the board and really increase rigor. I doubt people would be leaving the school system or complaining so loudly if they just did that.

Yes we need higher teacher quality, school choice, etc. The parents will show the way to a better educational system if the government will just listen. We really aren’t that stupid.

By jim d

January 19, 2007 10:12 AM | Link to this

Jeff,

unless I’m mistaken (and I could be) I thought if reauthorization fails it becomes dead.

By Jeff

January 19, 2007 10:38 AM | Link to this

jim:

I understand that part.. a “time bomb” if you will that lets politicians seem to be taking action without it becoming overly damaging later in their careers.

What I am asking: Does it have to go through committee (in both houses), floor vote in both houses, and presidential signature all over again, or are their shortcuts during the reauthorization process?

By Lisa B.

January 19, 2007 10:41 AM | Link to this

Atl Native,

I agree with your post.

I believe parents and communities want students to become thinkers, who can analyze and solve problems and work collectively toward goals. However, what educators hear now is that “it’s all about the test. The test is what matters.” I try hard to avoid spending all my time drilling students on the “test”, but mandated test prep and testing still take up huge blocks of instructional time. I don’t think parents or communities really care a whit about tests, as long as children can think and show proficiency in academic areas. We don’t need all these tests to tell if our children are succeeding or failing.

By Lisa B.

January 19, 2007 10:49 AM | Link to this

Jeff and jim d,

All I have found is that if Reauthorization of NCLB fails, the federal funding stops. I didn’t actually see the words anywhere indicating the law disappears, but surely it must.

By Lisa B.

January 19, 2007 10:51 AM | Link to this

Jeff,

I am almost positive the reauthorization, in the form of a bill, goes through the House, Senate, and to the President again. NCLB went through that process. The Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate overwhelmingly supported the bill. I just don’t know if this particular bill, to reauthorize, will start in the House or the Senate.

By Truth Filter

January 19, 2007 11:19 AM | Link to this

Jeff et al.,

NCLB is up for reauthorization this year, but if history repeats itself (as it often does in Congress) then it probably won’t be reauthorized this year and the current law will be in place for another year. That’s what has happened in previous years with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (the law that became NCLB).

But judging from what Congressmen and Congresswomen on both sides of the aisle are saying, it will be reauthorized. The question is what changes will be made.

TF

By holdingAJCaccountable

January 19, 2007 11:21 AM | Link to this

Re:”…education policy can be a complex and sometimes confusing subject.” No it is not!!! People chose to make it confusing, so they can make a living off the government teat called “reform”.

The other reason people make education “complex” is so they can abdicate their responsibility and excuse their spinelessness.

You want to fix education, you fix the discipline. Period. The End. Click on the report. Look on the left hand column where they list the alleged “Top Ten”. You will not see the word discipline mentioned even one time.

Sure, they probably allude to discipline somewhere in the fine print. But if we aren’t willing to put discipline front and center we can address every issue in the “Top Ten” (and anybody else’s Top Ten) and we will still be left with this question:

Other than that, how was the play Mrs. Lincoln?

Please tell me this wasn’t my tax dollars at work…please.

By red

January 19, 2007 11:38 AM | Link to this

Jim, what exactly about NCLB made it impossible to improve education. (did nclb make education suddenly and dramically worse?)

Lisa, as a parent of a second and a third grader, I very much care about how they do on test. I also care about how they compare to their counterparts all across the country, not just in the state that usually ranks around last in SAT scores.

I think that parents and communities want accountability and results. Like it or not, standardized tests seem to be the most efficient way of achieving that.

By holdingAJCaccountable

January 19, 2007 12:12 PM | Link to this

red,

You might, but “people” do not want accountability and results. 37 million people watched the season premiere of American Idol. How many of that number have read a book to their child in the last week? Month? Year? Since American Idol first started?

“People” want “scapegoatability” so they can excuse their own sorry lack of results because they refuse to parent. If teachers need a mantra, it should be “No Accountability Without Authority”. (If you want to hold teachers accountable for anything it’s that they make Smithers-Mr. Burns’ yes man on the Simpsons-look like a veritable William Wallace)

Red, give some teachers some authority and you’ll see them embrace accountability. Give them the authority to remove disruptive students. Give them the authority to use the teaching methods they feel best meet the needs of the students.

Then give them a “test” they can embrace: Test a child when the first day he enters class; then test him on the last day he leaves class. Then let the chips fall where they may…if a teacher won’t be accountable under those conditions, they by all means raise holy hell with the entire lot of them!

But don’t give a teacher no authority to discipline. Don’t give a teacher three new students the week before the test and tell them they are “accountable”. (This happens all the time.) They are going to balk, and you would too.

Finally, you have a law, NCLB, that says in 2014 one hundred percent of students must pass the test or the entire school fails. 1998 kids pass the test, earn college scholarships…two kids come to school high on crystal meth and drool on the test. The ENTIRE school, all 2000 is labeled a “failure”.

Given that, tell me how anyone can say this law was designed to help children, and not designed to prove the schools are “failing” so we could introduce vouchers. Maybe the schools are failing, and maybe we do need vouchers; let’s have an honest discussion of it, and not rig up a law the guarantees schools will fail because you don’t have the guts to put vouchers out there in the “free marketplace of ideas”. Like restoring the discipline perhaps? Doh!

By JustMe

January 19, 2007 12:21 PM | Link to this

Here is the #1 issue by far, and it is summed up by what has happened in Clayton Co.

**Poorly behaved students and no parent support. Adminstrators not supporting the teachers trying to maintain good classroom learning environment. Resulting in less learning and falling scores.

Falling scores result in purchase of stupid and expensive program (ie: “directed learning” or “high schools that work”) for appearance for NCLB, and then good teachers flee. Tons of teacher vacancies mean larger class size and force of hiring people not ready to teach.

This results in greater decline of test scores and then a vicious cycle begins.**

Any questions?

By kitty

January 19, 2007 12:24 PM | Link to this

If you’ve ever read NCLB, which I have, you will find it is full of bureaucratic verbiage. Though some of its premises are legitimate and and may warrant follow-through, a great deal of its content is pure rhetoric. I doubt if many politicians are able to understand it — which may be how it got signed into legislation in the first place. Americans are hoodwinked daily by policymakers in Washington and I think that NCLB is another glaring example of this. I believe that No Child Left Behind could use a lot of tweaking!

By JustMe

January 19, 2007 12:27 PM | Link to this

holdingAJCaccountable -

I love your last post! You are right on!!!

By Janine

January 19, 2007 12:45 PM | Link to this

HoldingAJC and Justme Well said! Demanding Accountability without Authority is outrageous. Teachers [at least those were my colleagues] are saddled with scripted lessons and/or Cure du Jour programs and are not allowed to make even the smallest of decisions about materials, or disciplinary measures, or strategies.And someone mentioned that NCLB was designed to persuade the public that vouchers are indeed the only way to “fix” education.

By holdingAJCaccountable

January 19, 2007 12:45 PM | Link to this

Just Me,

Thanks. Don’t know if you’ve been following (I’ve asked the AJC why they won’t cover it but they won’t respond) the eighteen million dollar land deal that the Chairman of the Board of Ed refuses to discuss.

They are so scared of the truth getting out, they had Dr. Trotter (head of MACE) arrested-his first amendment rights violated-for trying to question the deal at the last board meeting.

Not only that, they actually called a recess and herded the members of the media into the foyer of the meeting place (this is from a media member present) so that Victor Hill could get a photo op and personally arrest him.

I guess with the board in full CYA mode, they just don’t have time to address trivial things like “discipline”…

By Janine

January 19, 2007 12:48 PM | Link to this

As for your question today, Bridget.. “In 2007, how will we answer when we are asked, how did we invest in our children’s future?” My answer: Help pay for my grandchildren’s private school !!!

By holdingAJCaccountable

January 19, 2007 12:57 PM | Link to this

Kitty,

RE: “Some of it’s premises are legitimate…” Look at this:

Finally, you have a law, NCLB, that says in 2014 one hundred percent of students must pass the test or the entire school fails. 1998 kids pass the test, earn college scholarships…two kids come to school high on crystal meth and drool on the test. The ENTIRE school, all 2000 is labeled a “failure”.

If you are willing to put that into a law, are you still willing to say that the makers of this law had honorable intentions?

Think about it…

By Blind Homer

January 19, 2007 01:03 PM | Link to this

If you made all the illegals go back and started a massive selective breeding program, you might get proficiency for all by 3014. Or you could do it next year by redifing the already pathetically low cut scores. The report says only 7% of Tennessee schools are failing. Define competency about 20% lower than Tennessee and you’re there. The intent of NCLB is to keep a virtually enslaved impoverished class so the wealthy and powerful will have plenty of bodies to ship to the front in Iraq, iran, Korea, etc., and to mow their lawns.

By holdingAJCaccountable

January 19, 2007 01:04 PM | Link to this

Janine,

RE: “In 2007, how will we answer when we are asked, how did we invest in our children’s future?” My answer: Help pay for my grandchildren’s private school !!!

And a damn fine answer it is…unfortunately here’s how “We the People” have answered

Did you hear how much they paid for TomKat’s baby pictures?

By JustMe

January 19, 2007 01:08 PM | Link to this

Janine -

Please do not fool yourself that private schools are better than public. They have many of the same problems and they also have problems unique to private schools.

What you do accomplish is paying a premium to try to separate your children and shield them from real life.

IMHO, what you SHOULD do is work with your local school and school system and speak loudly and often as a concerned parent.

By jim d

January 19, 2007 01:27 PM | Link to this

Gee Red, I don’t know.

What I do know is all this really started about 25 years ago when the National Commission on Excellence in Education issued its warning “A Nation at Risk.” This report is basically responsible for where we find ourselves today. Saddled with a huge bureaucratic spending program that has failed to improve education one iota. To the contrary it has led teachers and school administrations down a long dark road of having to teach to a test and then lie about the results. But I stray from the question.

NCLB, was created by Bush II and modeled after the great Texas lie. A lie that brought us top secret testing of our children with no appeal or ability for us to even know what was being tested. (Are you ok with that?) None the less, guess who has profited? Well if you said the McCraws (long time family friends of the Bush family) and other Bush family members, you’d be pretty close. No actually you’d be dead on!

Now some may ask how I perceive this as a failure? Well it’s quite clear to me after reading available statistics that we are seeing higher illiteracy rates and drop out rates today then anything this nation has ever known and for some reason I just have a problem seeing that as being successful or positive.

No my dear Red, NCLB was never about helping our children, it was and remains about a few of Mr. Bush’s closest friends and family members transferring wealth from the working class stiff’s to a few elite that really don’t give a rats a* about your kids. But they’ve damn sure made you think they do.

I guess that maybe I should stop here before I really get into a lengthy rant. But if you’d like to know more just follow the link. Just be careful not to trip and hurt yourself.

http://www.americanthinker.com/2006/12/yetanotherreportonthe_educ.html

Have a great day.

By SET

January 19, 2007 01:34 PM | Link to this

I believe that as in all things, personal choice of the masses (or at least large groups of people) will lead to the best solution.

Give the people the choices they want.

That means a larger number of market-segmented schools. Charter Schools, Internet Schools, Segregated Schools, Vocational Schools, College Based High Schools…. No more one size fits all.

This goes for the teachers also. Increase the range of choices for where and under what conditions teachers get to “teach”. Everyone will perform better and conflict will lessen.

And as far as NCLB, it is not a failure if low IQ students read below grade level if the students are doing better than average for their scores - and doing better than expected based on their previous performance. That represents success. Especially if the deportment is under control and they have job prospects… IQs of 100 are not college material - except vocational college.

And we do not need to require 2000 hrs of training for a cosmetology license either.

By kitty

January 19, 2007 01:42 PM | Link to this

holdingAJCaccountable:
(from Kitty)

Sorry, perhaps I shouldn’t have said “are legitimate” but “may be legitimate,” and ther may be there may be some issues that warrant follow through. Your point about the 100 percent passing is the part I refer to as rhetoric. One hundred percent is a pretty tall order, and worded like that is setting up most (if not all) schools for failure. Another point is to remind John Q. Public not to buy into this — it is setting up people for failure — teachers, parents, and the most important component, the children.

By Janine

January 19, 2007 01:48 PM | Link to this

Justme…One gets to choose the private school, and surely anyone paying for one would not choose one that is not better than the public alternative.. RE “separating them from Real Life”: there are many private schools that are closer to “real life” than the one in which I taught and where most of my colleages still teach..where the needs of the bright and average students of the real world are overshadowed by those of the small but violent, disrespectful , disinterested , disturbed/troubled students of that same world.

By Janine

January 19, 2007 01:55 PM | Link to this

Re: “IMHO, what you SHOULD do is work with your local school and school system and speak loudly and often as a concerned parent” I am quite willing to “work with my school system ” and have and continue to “speak loudly and often” [though it hasn’t made a dent so far]BUT I am not willing to sacrifice my grandchildren’s chance for a good education while I try to “work it out”.

By Janine

January 19, 2007 02:05 PM | Link to this

For at least 30 years I was an ardent supporter of public education. Only in the past few years have I changed my position.

By KA

January 19, 2007 02:08 PM | Link to this

“In 2007, how will we answer when we are asked, how did we invest in our children’s future?” I would hope that we can say that we are teaching all of our children how to read, and to read well.

By jim d

January 19, 2007 02:09 PM | Link to this

janine,

keep talking and you’ll soon find yourself banned from school properties and labled a trouble-maker.

By Jeff

January 19, 2007 02:26 PM | Link to this

KA:

Add “learn to think though and solve problems independently”, and I’ll sign on to that!

It is my opinion that once reading is learned, a systematic process to problem solving can be learned. Once those two things are in place, EVERYTHING else can be learned with relative ease. (I say “relative” because there will be individual problem areas for each person, but even then if you know how to read and probelm solve, you can make an intelligent guess in most cases.)

By Lisa B.

January 19, 2007 02:36 PM | Link to this

NCLB mandates too much testing. A norm-referenced test (ITBS, or Stanford-9)that compares our students’ performance to others across the nation provides useful information. That type of test should be used as a tool, not a hammer with which to punish. The CRCT is not a norm-referenced test, does not compare our kids to children across the nation, and in my opinion, isn’t even a valid test. Yet this is the test we use to grade schools, and to make promotion decisions on students through the 8th grade.

I agree with SET that choice of the masses may be the only way to improve education. One shoe does not fit all. That’s why I also bemoaned yesterday’s blog about switching to ALL charter schools. I don’t want to do ALL anything.

By RW

January 19, 2007 02:37 PM | Link to this

holdingAJCAccountable wrote:

Finally, you have a law, NCLB, that says in 2014 one hundred percent of students must pass the test or the entire school fails. 1998 kids pass the test, earn college scholarships…two kids come to school high on crystal meth and drool on the test. The ENTIRE school, all 2000 is labeled a “failure”.

What would actually happen is that then the school would look to the secondary test of attendance. As long as the students are in class regularly, the school “passes,” no matter how bad the test scores are!

By Lisa B.

January 19, 2007 02:46 PM | Link to this

RW,

Is that how it works? We’re always told that our schools have to pass BOTH the primary (test scores) and secondary indicators to make AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress. Of course, attendance is a tough one. Our middle school has failed to make AYP in the past because of low attendance. When the sytem fixed that problem, the middle school didn’t make AYP because too many special ed kids failed the test. Sigh.

By holdingAJCaccountable

January 19, 2007 02:51 PM | Link to this

RW,

That’s the flip side. The states see that can’t make mandates like the example I cited. So they respond by coming up with whatever criteria they can to prove the school is “meeting progress”.

But, the AJC has shown cases where school with MUCH higher SAT scores (maybe even 200 pts.?) failed but a lower scoring school made it with the help of attendance.

What REAL leadership on this issue would be is for Perdue to tell the feds to shove their education funds where the sun don’t shine, and be a TRUE conservative, and put control of education back on the local level

Pretty soon Kathy Cox is going to hire Jim Harrick Jr. to make up the CRCT (he was the one who came up the the final exam for Bulldog b’ballers with stumpers like “how many halves in a basketball game? and how many point for a free throw)

By holdingAJCaccountable

January 19, 2007 03:11 PM | Link to this

Lisa B.

I think you are right (about primary and secondary indicators). I don’t think anybody can make a compelling case that it’s not designed to make schools fail…so we can have vouchers.

Conservatives (or neo-cons; REAL conservatives would return control back to the local level) won’t admit it was set up for schools to fail. They just carry on about “the teachers’ unions” will never support it.

Fine. You’re right. They won’t. But if you are that convinced that we need vouchers, let’s have an honest debate; don’t rig the game, and put teachers, parents, and students through hell in the process…hell you’d think looking at the public schools, you wouldn’t have to rig the game in the first place.

Of course, you wouldn’t think Nixon would have thought he’d have to rig the game against McGovern either…

By KA

January 19, 2007 03:15 PM | Link to this

Jeff, Yes, I said reading as it is the beginning middle and end of any education process. We should also teach students to think critically, to research independently, to write and speak with effectiveness and confidence. AND to require students to behave in a civil and respectful manner, and to take responsiblity for their learning and actions.

By Lisa B.

January 19, 2007 03:29 PM | Link to this

Good point Holding.

I would not really be opposed to vouchers if they actually worked in the spirit intended. In reality though, middle class children are the beneficiaries, and those poor, disadvantaged kids vouchers supporters claim to be the targets, somehow remain in their failing schools. The vouchers often don’t give enough money to pay all the tuition for private schools, the children don’t get free breakfast or lunch, and the big kicker is transportation. Buses don’t pick the kids up for private school. The neediest kids can’t afford to take advantage of vouchers, and the middle class kids leave the schools. I’ve made this point to politicians over and over, but they never get it.

By Truth Filter

January 19, 2007 03:46 PM | Link to this

HoldingAJC,

If we tell the feds to shove federal funds, exactly where will you find the $1 billion to make up for it?

And don’t say “we can do without it…” because you know better.

TF

By jim d

January 19, 2007 03:57 PM | Link to this

Lisa, I hate to burst your bubble Dear, However (not but) there are tons of surveys out there that indicate many students, including minorities, would stay where they are regardless of vouchers.

Here’s but one of them.

http://district.needham.k12.ma.us/reports/2005ParentSurvey.pdf

Care to chime in on this one SET

By jim d

January 19, 2007 04:09 PM | Link to this

The real problem with telling them to shove it is that they could then cut off all funding for education alone here in Ga. that’s projected to be about 3.6 billon in 2007.

Source;

http://www.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/statefactsheets/georgia.pdf

By Lisa B.

January 19, 2007 04:31 PM | Link to this

jim d., Thanks for the article. I agree with it. My point was that voucher proponents typically claim vouchers are needed to save these children from horrible schools, but that the children they are trying to save generally don’t use vouchers even when offered them. In Pensecola, Florida, I have friends there who lobbied hard for and finally won vouchers. These were mostly middle class white families who “needed” a little help on tuition. I just haven’t seen much evidence that vouchers help children from poor socio-economic backgrounds whether they want to use the vouchers and can’t, or choose not touse them at all.

By Truth Filter

January 19, 2007 04:39 PM | Link to this

Good Point jim d.

Just saying “no” to NCLB sounds good on a blog or on political literature, but it’s not realistic. No state has said “no thanks” to the federal funds in order to escape NCLB, although a couple have made some political statements (Utah, for instance).

By Ernest

January 19, 2007 05:05 PM | Link to this

Truth Filter, you are correct, NCLB will be reauthorized. It’s up to citizens to appeal to their congressional representatives to recommend changes that will make this law easier to swallow. Hopefully, everyone is paying attention to this.

By catlady

January 19, 2007 05:17 PM | Link to this

“Common sense” isn’t so common, is it?

Pimping is pimping, no matter what you call it.

By Janine

January 19, 2007 05:18 PM | Link to this

Truth Filter..I think there may be a few small rejections of NCLBhttp://susanohanian.org/shownclbnews.html?id=202

By Lisa B.

January 19, 2007 05:25 PM | Link to this

It is important for all interested parties to write to their U.S. Senators and Representatives to explain any negative impact NCLB has had on you personally. We can discuss it with each other all day long, but must get the word to lawmakers who can actually “fix” the problems. As was said previously, NCLB will be reauthorized, and there will be changes. Lawmakers need some guidence on what those changes should be. If enough of us make enough noise, perhaps a trickle of what we say will get through. I think lawmakers have already heard concerns on the impact NCLB has had on Special Ed. I just don’t know what they’ll do about it.

By Janine

January 19, 2007 05:44 PM | Link to this

Actually, LisaB., I have done a lot of writing and talking about NCLB. I think I mentioned before that at I arranged for Cox’s assistant to come to our school and meet with teachers. He came…He was most sympathetic and said he would , and I believe he did, take some of our work samples with him to Washington to try to get at least some modifications. To NO Avail….Nothing changed.. I don’t believe that what you suggest, although it can’t hurt, will ever make a real impression.

By catlady

January 19, 2007 06:04 PM | Link to this

It won’t make a difference because the intent of the law is NOT to improve education. So any comments geared to that premise are not going to be considered. It is a sound bite law that improves the bottom line for some folks while herding the middle class voters, some of whom still support public education, toward private school vouchers, which will also improve the bottom line for some folks. Short term, it sends money to some important folks’ friends. Long term, it rewards those voters who are middle- and upper-class for their voting history, and magnifies the class divide. The only arguments that would have an effect are those addressing the real reason for the law, and those who could make those arguements won’t because they stand to gain by NCLB. The reauthorization of IDEA also fits in this same category. FOR GOODNESS SAKES FOLKS, IF NCLB WERE ABOUT EDUCATION THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN MUCH MORE INPUT SOLICITED FROM FOLKS WHO KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT EDUCATION! (Sorry about the outside voice)

By Lisa B.

January 19, 2007 06:31 PM | Link to this

Sigh. I know, I’m dreaming about a world where elected officials actually care about their constituants. Must be all that cold medicine I’m taking.