[ProgressiveEd] Fwd: [rsct] FairTest position statement on ESEA-NCLB
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A worthwhile perspective. Carol
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From: "Monty Neill" <[email protected]>
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Subject: [rsct] FairTest position statement on ESEA-NCLB
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Below is the text of a FairTest position statement on ESEA. We are posting t=
his to the website www.fairtest.org in html and also in pdf format. We are a=
lso working on a longer report and elaborated position statement. And look f=
or the next FairTest Examiner, which will detail many of the issues wer rais=
e in the position statement.=20
Monty Neill
Why "No Child Left Behind" Will Fail Our Children
A FairTest Position Statement on NCLB=20
"No Child Left Behind," the name of the federal Elementary and Secondary Edu=
cation Act, describes a worthy goal for our nation. Tragically, the legislat=
ion will exacerbate, not solve, the real problems that cause many children t=
o be left behind.
- The gauge of student progress in most states will be reduced to reading an=
d math test scores. Many schools will narrow instruction to what is tested.=20=
Education will be damaged, especially in low-income and minority schools, as=
students are coached to pass a test rather than learning a rich curriculum=20=
to prepare them for life in the 21st century.
- Most schools will fail to meet the unrealistic demands imposed by the law'=
s "adequate yearly progress" provision. Virtually no schools serving low-inc=
ome children will clear the arbitrary hurdles. Many successful schools will=20=
be declared "failing" and forced to drop what works for them.=20
- Sanctions intended to force school improvement will do the opposite. They=20=
will pit parent against teacher, parent against parent, and school against s=
chool. They take funding away from all students to be used by relatively few=
students. The law's ultimate sanctions-privatizing school management, firin=
g staff, state takeovers, and similar measures-have no proven record of succ=
ess.
- The federal government has failed to adequately fund the law. Most states=20=
are now cutting budgets to the bone, watching their education resources dwin=
dle just as they are hit with the demands of the law. Neither federal nor st=
ate governments are addressing the deepening poverty that makes it difficult=
for so many children to learn.=20
What Would Really Help Children?=20
The federal law should be transformed from one that uses punishments to cont=
rol schools to one that supports teachers and students; from one that relies=
primarily on standardized tests to one that encourages high-quality assessm=
ents. Elected representatives should listen to educators and parents to dete=
rmine the real needs of schools. Congress should work with the states to ens=
ure that all schools are adequately funded and that all children have adequa=
te food, housing, medical care, and other basic human needs to enable their=20=
success in school.=20
In the short term, Congress should amend the law to stop the destructive inf=
lexibility of the "adequate yearly progress" provisions and eliminate the re=
quirement for states to annually assess all students in grades 3 to 8 in rea=
ding and math. The amount of required testing should be reduced and the drac=
onian penalties removed. Congress must appropriate the full amount authorize=
d for Title I of ESEA without cutting overall ESEA appropriations.=20
FairTest also calls for a helpful accountability system that would emphasize=
local, classroom-based student assessment information combined with limited=
standardized testing, as is being developed in Maine and Nebraska. Each sch=
ool would report its progress and problems to its own community and discuss=20=
with the community how to improve the schools. Each school would also produc=
e an opportunity-to-learn index, including such factors as per-pupil funding=
, class size, number of books in libraries, teacher qualifications, and scho=
ol climate and satisfaction surveys. Where schools have adequate resources b=
ut fail to provide a good education, the district or state should intervene=20=
with methods shown to succeed.
Monty Neill, Ed.D.
Executive Director
FairTest
342 Broadway
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-864-4810 fax 617-497-2224
[email protected]
http://www.fairtest.org
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<BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial>Below is the text of a FairTest position statement o=
n=20
ESEA. We are posting this to the website <A href=3D"http://www.fairtest.or=
g">www.fairtest.org</A> in html and also in pdf=20
format. We are also working on a longer report and elaborated position=20
statement. And look for the next FairTest Examiner, which will detail many o=
f=20
the issues wer raise in the position statement. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial>Monty Neill</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>
<P align=3Dcenter><B><FONT size=3D4>Why "No Child Left Behind" Will Fail Our=
=20
Children</P></FONT><FONT size=3D3>
<P align=3Dcenter>A FairTest Position Statement on NCLB </P></B>
<P>"No Child Left Behind," the name of the federal Elementary and Secondary=20
Education Act, describes a worthy goal for our nation. Tragically, the=20
legislation will exacerbate, not solve, the real problems that cause many=20
children to be left behind.</P>
<P>=96 The gauge of student progress in most states will be reduced to readi=
ng and=20
math test scores. Many schools will narrow instruction to what is tested.=20
Education will be damaged, especially in low-income and minority schools, as=
=20
students are coached to pass a test rather than learning a rich curriculum t=
o=20
prepare them for life in the 21st century.</P>
<P>=96 Most schools will fail to meet the unrealistic demands imposed by the=
law's=20
"adequate yearly progress" provision. Virtually no schools serving low-incom=
e=20
children will clear the arbitrary hurdles. Many successful schools will be=20
declared "failing" and forced to drop what works for them. </P>
<P>=96 Sanctions intended to force school improvement will do the opposite.=20=
They=20
will pit parent against teacher, parent against parent, and school against=20
school. They take funding away from all students to be used by relatively fe=
w=20
students. The law=92s ultimate sanctions=96privatizing school management, fi=
ring=20
staff, state takeovers, and similar measures=96have no proven record of=20
success.</P>
<P>=96 The federal government has failed to adequately fund the law. Most st=
ates=20
are now cutting budgets to the bone, watching their education resources dwin=
dle=20
just as they are hit with the demands of the law. Neither federal nor state=20
governments are addressing the deepening poverty that makes it difficult for=
so=20
many children to learn. </P><B>
<P>What Would Really Help Children? </P></B>
<P>The federal law should be transformed from one that uses punishments to=20
control schools to one that supports teachers and students; from one that re=
lies=20
primarily on standardized tests to one that encourages high-quality assessme=
nts.=20
Elected representatives should listen to educators and parents to determine=20=
the=20
real needs of schools. Congress should work with the states to ensure that a=
ll=20
schools are adequately funded and that all children have adequate food, hous=
ing,=20
medical care, and other basic human needs to enable their success in school.=
=20
</P>
<P>In the short term, Congress should amend the law to stop the destructive=20
inflexibility of the "adequate yearly progress" provisions and eliminate the=
=20
requirement for states to annually assess all students in grades 3 to 8 in=20
reading and math. The amount of required testing should be reduced and the=20
draconian penalties removed. Congress must appropriate the full amount=20
authorized for Title I of ESEA without cutting overall ESEA appropriations.=20=
</P>
<P>FairTest also calls for a helpful accountability system that would emphas=
ize=20
local, classroom-based student assessment information combined with limited=20
standardized testing, as is being developed in Maine and Nebraska. Each scho=
ol=20
would report its progress and problems to its own community and discuss with=
the=20
community how to improve the schools. Each school would also produce an=20
opportunity-to-learn index, including such factors as per-pupil funding, cla=
ss=20
size, number of books in libraries, teacher qualifications, and school clima=
te=20
and satisfaction surveys. Where schools have adequate resources but fail to=20
provide a good education, the district or state should intervene with method=
s=20
shown to succeed.</P></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial>Monty Neill, Ed.D.<BR>Executive=20
Director<BR>FairTest<BR>342 Broadway<BR>Cambridge, MA=20
02139<BR>617-864-4810 fax 617-497-2224<BR><A href=3D"mai=
lto:[email protected]">[email protected]</A><BR><A href=3D"http://www.fa=
irtest.org">http://www.fairtest.org</A></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>
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