| OCR Text |
Show The ABC's of No Child Left Behind: Accountability, Benefits and Controversies Cameron Diehl stated importance of the standardized tests and they are just as demoralized as the faculty when they are labeled as failures. "Not only do we set an impossible goal, but we measure success by the most minimalist and almost irrelevant measures," said Richard Rothstein, author of "Class and Schools" and a guest lecturer at Teachers College, Columbia University in New York. "Schools can't overcome the well-documented link between poverty and poor academic achievement" (Lynn, 2004). Educators and students are not opposed to being held accountable and indeed, NCLB correctly obligates public awareness of school performance. Of concern is that the proposed resolution for a "failing school" is a backdoor voucher program, long opposed by the mainstream public education establishment. If the NCLB standard was modified to include a growth component, more emphasis on student work samples and teacher evaluation, and decreased emphasis on standardized testing, the progress and performance of individual schools and students would be better represented. The national government would still take a leading role in directing education and calling for public accountability while allowing schools and teachers to cater to the needs of students. Conclusion Standards-based education is a necessity. That includes a common, defined curriculum, tests that accurately measure knowledge, special attention to struggling children, expanded professional development for "highly qualified" teachers, smaller class sizes, and a federal-state accountability system that targets needy schools and makes resources available to them without being punitive. Schools are buildings; the people in the school should be improved, not "failed." The ultimate goal of an improved public school system is to mold generations that are prepared for the challenges in an evolving world and can be productive, responsible citizens. It is crucial that this message is driven home to current students AND their parents. In order to leave no child behind, the United States should make the effort to provide an equitable start for all children. Investments into health care, after-school programs and affordable housing would lead to academic improvement (Lynn, 2004) and should be considered as part of social educational policy. American students need more interaction with highly qualified teachers in school through smaller class-sizes and more time focused on real-world applicable, evolving curriculum. Educators need the flexibility to select a target for achievement that is appropriate for the current state of their student body and then improve incrementally. While the three R's are still the foundation, the student skill set must include critical thinking, decision-making, writing ability and multiple language mastery; skills that are not identifiable solely by a standardized test. Tomorrow's America will need fewer C-3PO protocol droids and more thoughtful, independent, ethical leaders like Luke Skywalker. Standards need to be developed to test problem-solving skills and include a writing component, not just be of the multiple-guess regurgitation variety. The Federal Government should empower states and districts to enact consistent accountability measures but then hold the "feet to the fire" of local entities for academic progress. Says Richard Elmore, Professor of Educational Leadership at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, "building capacity in failing schools is going to require a lot of feet on the ground... improvement is a process not an event. Schools build capacity by generating internal accountability and working their way through problems of instructional practice at ever-increasing levels of complexity and demand" (Elmore, 2005, p. 27). Under the proper leadership, schools can blossom into the community headquarters for scientific discovery, artistic creativity, civic service and participation, social and moral development, and athletic achievement. Kids learn valuable lessons such as responsibility, discipline, teamwork and punc-tuality alongside their academic pursuits. Observed G. Don Gale, former editorial director at KSL-TV in Salt Lake City, "good educators realize the knowledge students learn will soon be forgotten or obsolete, but the habits and values they acquire will last a lifetime. Competence is important. But confidence, compassion and congeniality are too." (Gale, 2003). Teacher reaction to NCLB has been of the "mend it, don't end it" variety. In fact, two-thirds of the members of the American Federation of Teachers support the goals and motives of NCLB (Wattenburg, Hansel, et al, 2005a). To get students up to standard, it will take time, discipline, effort, and money. Until now, the full investment has never been made. An investment today will bring rewards tomorrow-Education budgets are always a recession away from the chop' ping block and American students deserve better. The United States can reclaim its place among the edu' cational elite if it has the patience and the will to refine this project and let it mature. The America of tomorrow demands a skilled, motivated, educated people and we owe it to those who have laid the current groundwork to leave the country better than how we found it. Inside the Library of Congress- the apex of American intellectualism-reads this warning and promise, to be interpreted and built upon as we will: "The foundation of every state is the education of its youth." References Ashford, E. (2005, January 4). Federal ruling on tutoring disrupts serv ices for thousands in Chicago. School Board News, p. 5. Baker, C. (2006, April 2). Federal pilot program passes on U-PASS' The Salt Lake Tribune, p. A6. Brinckley, A. (1995). American history, A survey. New York: McGraW Hill Inc. 34 |
