No Child Left Behind
A further basic problem in the program is that there has been no effort to identify what we are attempting to rectify. “Our schools are failing” does not define the problem.. We should start with the fact that only some schools seem to be having difficulty helping some kids to learn all we would like. Then we should ask how those schools differ from those that are succeeding. We would discover factors like those described by Alana Smart in her article “Doorbells to schools bells” on the editorial page, i.e., “..a stable, healthy home must be in place in order to succeed at school
Our politicians love to jump into situations with grand schemes as solutions. Often those schemes are hatched before the problem is identified. It almost seems as if someone decided that it would be good to create a system where the schools could not succeed so that some other system could then be instituted. After all, if some of our obviously outstanding districts are having trouble meeting the goals, there must be something wrong with the solution and not the schools!
Thank you for calling for an overhaul of the program. It is long overdue
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The system of No Child Left Behind, is not a fix to a problem, it is the process in which to identify problems. It is then up to the school districts (or what in the best case scenario would be each individual principal) to figure out the best solution that will work for their school. Federal tax dollars assist in identifying the problem and paying for the tests. Teachers must correct the problem, either by soliciting assistance from parents, changing and modifying the tools of their trade, and stop social promotion.
Teaching to a test does not teach, it instructs. The old saying goes, give a man a fish you feed him for a day, teach him to fish, and he feeds himself for the rest of his life. We need to STOP TEACHING TO THE TEST, and start teaching subject matter in ways that each individual class will understand and provides them the path to success.
It sickens me that we have these wonderful movies, "inspired by a true story" of teachers actually being successful in TEACHING KIDS. Is our system really that bad that success is an inspiring story worthy of making a movie?
Posted by on August 10, 2007 02:52 PMThe program is working but it does need to get better.
Posted by bart on August 11, 2007 08:56 AM02:52 PM states, "It sickens me that we have these wonderful movies, "inspired by a true story" of teachers actually being successful in TEACHING KIDS. Is our system really that bad that success is an inspiring story worthy of making a movie?"
The movies referred to are, I assume, films like "Dead Poets Society" or "Goodbye Mr. Chips" or "Freedom Writers". These are considered stories of great teachers because those fictional (sometimes based on real) teachers are THEMSELVES inspiring and use their enthusiasm, creativity, communication skills and knowledge of subject matter to engage kids.
Too many younger teachers I work with today and too many public schools (like the one in which I work) consciously de-emphasize the individual teacher in favor of more organized, yet vanilla-flavored, teams. These teams plan and evaluate together, bringing more consistency with less spark. They align all their lessons to meet standards and they utilize "common assessments" (all teachers give the same test), but they are too often afraid to step off the track and assert themselves as an entity in the act of teaching.
No Child Left Behind and CSAP are just two examples of the current trend of data-heavy (or "best practice") teaching and evaluation, but I mourn for the passing of truly inspirational, original, brilliant teaching like that of some of the best teachers I encountered in high school.
Everyone's too afraid to deviate from the team plan, or to challenge student thinking with a controversial statement or position that might make them actually think, react, remember, and LEARN.
Posted by Tom on August 11, 2007 09:55 AMEach teacher is given a box at the beginning of the school year. Each teacher must teach what is in the box and within the box. Any deviations and they are told by the principal to get back in the line.Meaning the stay within the lines education.
The great teachers have to be very creative to teach the out of the box ,stay within the lines education doled out to students. Some accomplish it ,most don't bother they just mundanely go through the day teaching the box.
Example: I spoke with my 2nd graders teacher for this year. I told her she has been assessed at 5th grade reading and comprehension and 100% proficiency in Math and is teaching herself multiplication. Her teacher told me if she was ahead I would have to teach her extra at her level at home, because she is only going to teach the book.
Both of my children are out of the box and never been stay within the line students.
I am in the process of finding them a new school. I can't take this anymore.
Posted by Can I get an AMEN! on August 11, 2007 10:19 AM