2008 Woodie Awards
Is are children learning?
A look at education
Justin Lyman
Issue date: 10/7/04 Section: Opinions
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Of the many problems facing this country, education has been pushed to the background this year. It seems like no one wants to talk about it. I mean if you even try to mention the Every ...I mean No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLBA), you get weird looks from people.
What is the NCLBA? Basically, what it does is state that all schools are going to be graded based on the test scores that students receive. So, schools are going to be held accountable for their progress with students. This sounds all well and good, but here's the catch. The schools that get "passing" grades get federal money. That's nice, you know, reward the districts that are performing well. But that's not all. They hold back money from schools that are not performing.
Well now, that doesn't make any sense. You take schools that are not performing up to standards, and then you give them less money, so they can't afford more teachers. More teachers doesn't mean just the ones directly out of college, which is all that these failing school districts can now afford. Now, where are the districts that are the most likely to fail these standardized tests? They are exactly where you think they are: in the inner city and the few rural areas of the country.
So, if you can't read between the lines, this means that the schools that are receiving more money are the ones that actually have more money to begin with. To borrow a catch phrase from Head of State "That ain't right."
So now schools are being forced to release experienced teachers that have not yet reached tenure. This means there are fewer qualified teachers with the experience needed to lead a classroom. Another problem related to this act is that, since the funding is going to be based on these tests and evaluations, teachers might be bullied by school administrations or school boards to teach less of what was formerly on the curriculum and focus on what the tests are going to cover.
I mean, how good can an education law be when the National Education Association is against the bulk of it. They also see that something needs to be done, but they have this to say from their website on the NCLBA " ... [the NCLBA] focuses on ... punishments rather than assistance... mandates rather than support for effective programs..." and "privatization rather than teacher-led and family-oriented solutions."
What is the NCLBA? Basically, what it does is state that all schools are going to be graded based on the test scores that students receive. So, schools are going to be held accountable for their progress with students. This sounds all well and good, but here's the catch. The schools that get "passing" grades get federal money. That's nice, you know, reward the districts that are performing well. But that's not all. They hold back money from schools that are not performing.
Well now, that doesn't make any sense. You take schools that are not performing up to standards, and then you give them less money, so they can't afford more teachers. More teachers doesn't mean just the ones directly out of college, which is all that these failing school districts can now afford. Now, where are the districts that are the most likely to fail these standardized tests? They are exactly where you think they are: in the inner city and the few rural areas of the country.
So, if you can't read between the lines, this means that the schools that are receiving more money are the ones that actually have more money to begin with. To borrow a catch phrase from Head of State "That ain't right."
So now schools are being forced to release experienced teachers that have not yet reached tenure. This means there are fewer qualified teachers with the experience needed to lead a classroom. Another problem related to this act is that, since the funding is going to be based on these tests and evaluations, teachers might be bullied by school administrations or school boards to teach less of what was formerly on the curriculum and focus on what the tests are going to cover.
I mean, how good can an education law be when the National Education Association is against the bulk of it. They also see that something needs to be done, but they have this to say from their website on the NCLBA " ... [the NCLBA] focuses on ... punishments rather than assistance... mandates rather than support for effective programs..." and "privatization rather than teacher-led and family-oriented solutions."
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