Leaving No Child Behind

[realFedUp]

I saw a news segment (can't remember which one) that
asked some teachers and principals in the country how the
program was working for them...I guess if the schools
take funds they have to follow certain rules. Some
schools declined to take the funds (although they were
certainly needed) so they wouldn't have to be under
such strict teaching and testing rules...

Anyone know how this is going over or have firsthand
knowledge in their schools?
Can anyone give a shorthand explanation of how the
program works?
links to news?

Thanks in advance

[King Bush II]

1. i have talked to some teachers

i know, and they all absolutely hate the idea. they do not think that the program is fair or feasible.

[starroute]

2. They all seem to hate it

Although he has been giving his spiel for a year and a half, Robert Creveling said he felt like a ''lone voice in the wilderness'' until last month, when school districts started calling him in to address their teachers. He has spoken to teachers in Allentown, Easton and Wilson Area school districts.

''No Child Left Behind is the president's way of forcing privatization of the public schools,'' said Creveling as he paced the auditorium's aisles on Wednesday. ''The law is set up for you to fail. It's impossible — impossible — to get 100 percent of students on a college-bound track.

''You know it and I know that, however much we try, not everyone has the learning ability to go to college,'' he said. ''The problem is, the brilliant legislators who made up this law don't know it.''

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-a1_4teacherssep02.story

I also saw a segment on PBS last night -- Maine (and other rural states) are complaining that most of their population is so spread out, there's no way they can bus children from one district to another. If they can't get a waiver (and it doesn't look like they will) they may sue the federal government.

[SharonAnn]

3. I saw a comparison to having regulations that required dentists

to be measured on the number of cavities their patients have each year, with the percentage of cavity free patients going up each year until it's 100%. Can the dentists control every aspect of this? Not likely since it's a combination of genetics, flouride, hygiene, and ?.

Dentists can legitimately be measured on providing a standard of care (it's a lot of work to measure this) during treatments to those patients who show up for appointments but anything beyond that is inappropriate.

The same kind of thing applies for schools. Teachers can be held accountable for providing appropriate instruction (yes it's a lot of work to measure this) since that is within their control. Schools can be accountable for having teachers who provide appropriate instruction. Beyond that, it's out of the control of the school. Students don't all have "above average" abilities, they may be malnourished, they may be ill, they may lack sleep, their parents may not support homework and school attendance, etc.

What GWB's testing does accomplish is to set up for privatization of schools and also provide a revenue stream to his brother Neil for his test preparation software that he sells to schools. Florida has bought this, I believe, so that students can "prepare" for the tests.