Let's Do Away With NCLB!!
I read from Wes who learned from Doug, about the Commission on No Child Left Behind, which is soliciting input from educators about NCLB. My comments are included below, I urge you to submit your comments as well.
No Child Left Untested
No Child Left Unpressured
Our education system has been changed and the change is not good. Throughout the system the focus is on the test, not on the teaching or the learning. Preparing for the test has become the driving force in our system. The results of the test decide who is a good teacher and who is not. This is ALL WRONG!
The Federal Government should be making funding available for states to implement grant programs that will foster better learning environments for our children. The Federal Government should not be involved in deciding what needs to be taught in every classroom, in every state throughout the union.
In the educational community, NCLB is a 4-letter word. I hope that your Commission is bringing in some educators from the trenches to learn about their experiences with this high-stakes testing. Please ask some CLASSROOM teachers from various, economically disadvantaged school districts around the country to provide the Commission with observations of what they see happening in their classrooms. Unfortunately, you will find that levels of pressure are elevated, levels of frustration (teacher and student) are elevated, but most will report that levels of learning are unaffected or adversely affected.
I urge the Commission to reallocate funding from NCLB to provide the opportunity for states to get needed supplies and locally designed programs into the classrooms that desperately need relief. The classroom teachers need relief from the high stakes testing, relief from the test-imposed pressure and relief from the lack of resources that impair their students’ progress.
I urge the Commission to solicit the input of educational reformers such as Kyle Peck from Penn State University and his Educational Systems Design Project. Also, the folks at The Partnership for 21st Century Skills would be good to include, as well. Both of these projects promote accountability, but in a system where teacher can use the assessment data on an ongoing basis to change what they do in the classroom. I would be happy to be a part of this much needed change. I am committed to the goal of helping to reform our educational system to help students learn and acquire the skills they need for success in the 21st century. My website is edtechtutor.com; you can find my blog and contact info there as well.
No Child Left Untested
No Child Left Unpressured
Our education system has been changed and the change is not good. Throughout the system the focus is on the test, not on the teaching or the learning. Preparing for the test has become the driving force in our system. The results of the test decide who is a good teacher and who is not. This is ALL WRONG!
The Federal Government should be making funding available for states to implement grant programs that will foster better learning environments for our children. The Federal Government should not be involved in deciding what needs to be taught in every classroom, in every state throughout the union.
In the educational community, NCLB is a 4-letter word. I hope that your Commission is bringing in some educators from the trenches to learn about their experiences with this high-stakes testing. Please ask some CLASSROOM teachers from various, economically disadvantaged school districts around the country to provide the Commission with observations of what they see happening in their classrooms. Unfortunately, you will find that levels of pressure are elevated, levels of frustration (teacher and student) are elevated, but most will report that levels of learning are unaffected or adversely affected.
I urge the Commission to reallocate funding from NCLB to provide the opportunity for states to get needed supplies and locally designed programs into the classrooms that desperately need relief. The classroom teachers need relief from the high stakes testing, relief from the test-imposed pressure and relief from the lack of resources that impair their students’ progress.
I urge the Commission to solicit the input of educational reformers such as Kyle Peck from Penn State University and his Educational Systems Design Project. Also, the folks at The Partnership for 21st Century Skills would be good to include, as well. Both of these projects promote accountability, but in a system where teacher can use the assessment data on an ongoing basis to change what they do in the classroom. I would be happy to be a part of this much needed change. I am committed to the goal of helping to reform our educational system to help students learn and acquire the skills they need for success in the 21st century. My website is edtechtutor.com; you can find my blog and contact info there as well.
Brian, Thank you for jumping in on this. If ever there was a cause worth speaking out about, this is it.
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