What Arne Duncan Thinks of No Child Left Behind

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The version that went inyo law of Leave no Child behind is Law. It addresses what it is, whats wrong and what needs to be done., and these guidliness were spelled out in this Landmark Case.We donot need any versions odf what has been tested grades K through by teachars administrators,again, who work directly with children. .we know how to plan,teach and review. I tend to agree thay education should be removed from the hands of politicans. We do not teah party affiliations. No, we are not pleased with theprocess. Dorothy Corry Jennings

Dorothy Corry Jennings of GA 3:50PM March 24, 2010

My 16 year old son was suspended for 10 days after a fight with a 19 year old who threatend him. I know my son is not a bully but he will defend himself. My son has been placed in a
program that is not conducive to obtaining a high school diploma. Against my better judgment
and spitefully it seems, they have placed him in a ged program. I requested that my son be
transferred to another school and receive behavior intervention or counceling. The Principal
has been downright disrespectful. The Williamsburg County School Board has been elusive and
uncooperative in helping me resolve or understand what their intentions are. I honestly believe 10 days suspension should have been enough punishment. This has gone on for 4 months
I am at my wits end. And I am sad over this situation because I know it's wrong. These so
called Public Servants are serving my child a lesson in failure. He is in the 10th grade and
has been put into a ged program all the while he should have at least been on Apex in order to receive high school credits. This is such a set back and an obvious incentive to dropping
out.

Shari neal of SC 11:01AM March 23, 2010

I trust you went to my site and interpreted the information as given as the caseno 9529; was heard with U.S.Supreme Court in-put....199-2000 ..was successful.
Dorothy Corry Jennings,
Masters Degree, 60 graduate
hours, field work for PHD
Investigative Research In
Educational Media Design.

Dorothy Corry Jennings of GA 3:10PM March 22, 2010

I am writing to plead with you or whoever may be in charge of developing early childhorood educator professional development programs. I also want to address those of you who are proposing changes in education.
Changes are fine...but talk to the teachers first. I have been a speech pathologist for 30 years. I live in State College, PA and I work with early intervention programs.
Come spend a day with me. Come spend a week with me.
Meet the children I work with and then maybe you will understand that when the government makes us spend days in workshops learning how to use a new computer program to write our evaluation reportsand IEPs that they are taking us away from the children who need us. A new program is implemented yearly because the state or federal government wants data presented in a different way....and most likely has something to do with the funds we receive from our government. Then we have to spend hours at home learning to use these new programs. Does the government realize that we spend more time on paperwork and learning computer programs (developed by someone who probably has never seen a child with a communication delay and who has no idea what early intervention is even about) than we do actually working with the children? Accountability is important. I know this. But please let us work with the children. You are not seeing the big picture.I cannot even imagine how much money is spent developing new programs every year. Go to work with me for a day....or a week. Meet the people who are experts in working with children to help improve their communication skills. I respect what you do, but I do not believe the government and people making the laws really have any idea how they are defeating the purpose of education.

Julia F. Lovins of PA 1:27AM March 19, 2010

I have an issue with the school were my son is attending now. My son, is currently enrolled as a seventh grader. My son is an American citizen by birth. English is my son's ONLY language. He cannot read,write and has very limited speaking knowledge of my parent' native language,Spanish. I was shocked to find ot on the first day of school that my son was placed in an Enligh learner's class as supposed to a regular 7th grade Language Arts class. When I first enrolled my son the public school system in California I was given a form that requested input on my son's language spoken at home.When my son was a little boy, I spoke to him in both English and Spanish at home up to the age of five. That doesn not mean the my son is proficient in Spanish. My son has performed low in his (STAR) test and, my question to the school administrators is what they will suggest if my son is of African American descent would they placed him in Ebonics classes to improve his English? What do they suggest for a Caucasian American with difficulties learning to read and/or write English? What English Learning languege will qualify for Red Neck classes?. Yes my son might need help with his language arts but could it be that he might have a learning disability such as Dyslexia? So, instead of helping with his real issue the school will base his English education on race. Why would the school system continue propagating and delaying his learning in order to justify Bilingual education existence. I have try to get him out of this program but they say i can't why? i have no rights as a parent? I know for a fact that by being in this program his not getting help to pass the STAR test. Because, these kind of programs are built to leave a child behind. Why would not create a system were you can teach all kids what they are supposed to be learning at the same pace. If they fail they fail. this school has Gate,honor students,regular classes, and bilingual students. Get rid of these programs that are not helping our kids!! They are failing our kids just to get more money coming in... I hope mr Arne Duncan will read this letter and help me to permanently removed my son from any database for future English learners Test and English learners programs assined by the school district and/or State of California Department of Education. I fully understand that he will be tested annually for the STAR and C.H.S.P.E test at the end of his high school year. And my last suggestion to Mr Arne Duncan is to Audit Kraemer Elementary School in the city of Placentia State of CA. If our kids are performing low in STAR test something must be wrong don't you think? Hire Teachers that are willing to teach and help our kids.

Erminia of CA 5:12PM March 18, 2010

Leave No Child Behind, a valid instrument in its original form gave specific directives by educators who had served in subject areas; had direct access to children with special needs and advanced students. These educators had served on local, state, and national levels. They used creatie methods of breaking through barriers that were deemed impossible.I am very proud to one of many many. Dorothy Corry Jennings

Dorothy Corry Jennings of GA 5:11PM March 18, 2010

Arne Duncan:
Boy it is good to hear you on CNN pushing for a higher bar for education and keeping schools open longer for a comunity center
and maybe 6 days a week of school and a shorter summer vacation. This must go through.
May I also suggest promoting one more item. School funding is based primarily on real estate taxes and that is a form of discrimination of children in poor neighborhoods. This has to change so school funding comes from other sources than real estate taxes.
Good education opportunities need to be provided for those comming from poor neighborhoods. The more good education we provide to more children is most important for our countries survival in the future.

Arne R. Jorgensen, PE of IL 8:25PM March 09, 2010

Dear Secretary of Education: Arne Duncan,
How can my Grandsons receive The Department of Education's Mission? My Grandchildren for two school terms had their school days in the morning, start with sexual encounters, harrasments, and other bad behaviors on the school bus. When they arrived at school, the same things continued throughout the day, and end with molestation riding back home on the school bus. After contacing the school officals and the superintendent, about our findings,the bad behavior continued. My son and daughter-in-law reported this to the school, Department of Family and Children Services, and contacted the children's hospital for the children to get examined. We all are in therapy. These are very young children who had to face such a cruel situation in their young life. I hope they can be helped and overcome this catastrophe. I'm praying their lives have not been ruined. This has davastated us very bad. Can you help us? I understand, another child started this and drew in my Grandsons and other boys. To the very best of my knowledge, there are some people who work at the school who knew about this and did not report any of this to our family. I live in Newnan, Georgia. My son and his family live in Sharpsburg, Georgia. The ages of my Grandsons are 8, 7, 7, and 6 years old. They attend Poplar Road Elementary School in Sharpsburg. The School District is Coweta County School System Board of Education. My son, wife, and Grandsons have already met with an investigator. I have turned in my discovery stament. I don't understand why things are being ignored for now and not hearing from anyone. My Grandchildren need to be protected and secured on the school bus and in school. I'm hoping you can help our Family find out if anyone cares about helping us in Georgia, especially the boys who need and excellent education. Thank you for reading my letter.

Brenda Greenway of GA 10:57PM March 01, 2010

I have a grandson that was expelled the first week of Sept. 2009. Last year 7th grade - he was suspended for 10 days however never to return through mid June when school closed for the summer. He then was 'passed' to the 8th grade. he is now 13 and has no books, classes, computer. His dad and I have been to Federal Office of Civil Rights. They are having the school change its procedures, etc. BUT, it does not put the boy back into school. Went to Maine Disability Office and got a letter stating they cannot help due to conflict of interest. I have written to ask for the conflict is. No response as yet. Went to Main Ed. Due Process and received no help or guidance. We cannot afford private tutoring and are not educated enough ourselves to do tutoring at home. Is there any help you can provide?

Pauline Baker of ME 9:39AM February 25, 2010

Just today, I heard you say something that I disagree
with entirely. You said that tenure and teachers' performance reviews
should be tied to the performance reviews of their students. How philistine of you to think that your study environment with your $500 desk and $3000 computer in a 12'x16' room is equivalent to a poor student;s environment in a 8'by 8' room with no desk, a rat on the floor and roaches on the walls. Do you think you could effectively study if you were forced to live like that? Don't blame a student's environment on the teacher. This is punishing teachers for the environment that they have been forced to work in in this way and 2 more ways (following):
1. A student's performance is more tied to their home environment and their peers environment than to whatever the teacher says.
Let me explain. I am a black female that up to 1972 was the smartest black student ever at college. The chancellor presented me with a special award, "The Chancellor's Award for Scholastic Excellence" and I was asked to tutor freshman after regular college hours when I was only a junior myself. My straight A's resulted from not from anything any teacher said, but from my father demanding that I finish my homework before playing, and rewarding me at report card time with money for every A. I graduated from a predominately white high school as the salutatorian, (#2) because of this. There was a big difference between a student with drug dealer parent (don't care where the student is) and a student with affluent parents (want to know how you did on your history test). This situation is not under any control of the teacher nor is the friends the student has under any control of the teacher. I repeat, both the students parents, his peers and his home environment have more control over the student's performance than his teacher.
2. The second reason involves the student himself/herself. Some students do not want to open a book because they have already decided they are going to be a basketball player/football player/artist/singer/musician and do not need to learn how to read or write or do math. I most recently saw this working as a tutor for the small company. I was hired by a top university student to tutor math (calculus). This student was a dance major. They had not opened the math book to do a single problem. They wanted me to do their assigned homework. They paid me after I completed their homework. I thought they were listening when I explained step by step how to do each problem. I don't think they were. Bear in mind, this was a highly regarded university student.
If I were hired by the city educational system, I would require prerequisite tests to enter every subject. What a novel idea! I would not pass students just because they are the star football player/basketball player/musican etc.
Have I made my point?

ellend20 of MD 7:37PM February 24, 2010