Learning From No Child Left Behind

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I am tired of being bashed for students who just don't care and parents who don't care enough about their children to support the teachers and their children in one of the most important aspects of their lives...education. I can no more teach a child who is resistant to learning than teach a dog who is blind to fetch a stick. What do these parents think we are? Don't they also know, that we,too, have families that we must attend to? If they took even half as much time as we do with our children, we would not have to have bills like NCLB and making teachers feel inadequate or inferior. Maybe if parents started taking responsibility for their ownership in the education process we could avoid all these programs that costs millions. A perfect example would be PBIS. I never heard of such a waste of money. It is sad to think that this program has to even exist. Not only are we supposed to teach academics, we also have to teach them to behave. Education is going downhill quickly. We need to stop bandaging and start healing. Our schools are a mess and we all know what needs to be done, so what are we waiting for????

Chris of IL 7:51AM March 14, 2010

A. NCLB meant more paperwork--annoyance and prevented focus on the students
B. NCLB meant poor evaluative measures--We are evaluated based on the ability to meet AYP(Student's proficiency) which is good except that it is compared to the students the prior year as opposed to that particular group's growth form the prior year; this leaves teachers being scored based on what teachers earlier on in the students lives were able to achieve or the lack thereof
C. NCLB meant teachers are held completely accountable--the students are no longer "allowed" to fail at anything, so first, many schools fin ways to get around it and just pass the students on. Second, parents are no longer held accountable for their children's success in school either. Third, communities are no longer held accountable(or never were), but now, a school is considered a "failure" if the poverty-mindset of the culture has robbed its youth of their potential.
*Warning Sarcasm Follows*
If a student fails it is because the teacher did not do their job. If a student is a behavior issue, it is the teacher's fault for not being a god. If every student that leaves is not on grade-level, the school must be a failure; forget the community's responsibility to its youth.
Sure, NCLB revealed the issues, but we knew them all along. NCLB is just a political way of making teachers and schools solely responsible for education. Did I mention, I get paid squat? 32,000 a year--don't call us baby-sitters if we can't get paid $5 a head/hour at least. This is not to mention the time and effort we put into trying to raise these kids when many parents neglect them, teaching strong morals, the need to succeed, the importance of family, the importance of relationships, the importance of giving it all you got.
You want to put more stress on our teachers; go for it. Underpaid, understaffed, and mistreated by many.
Me= 1 teacher + 90 students on a 3rd grade reading level entering my 8th grade class next year + 1 school that is on Tier 3 of NCLB's buck passing policies
I hope we can learn something--but this is just an online venting session for me that will have no true impact on anyone

GW of NC 9:55PM February 14, 2010

Personally, I think the test are not harder. I think alot of corners were cut, so the teachers wouldn't lose their jobs and all these reports that say that this worked is bull.
I had a son graduate this past year and his ability to read and write is limited. He would not be able to pass the same test I past to get a job like mine and to me, any 8th grader should be able to pass it. His reasoning skills, comprehensive skills and such are lacking. To add to the problem even more, his younger brother of 4 years is following in his footsteps.
So, from my own observation and others I know, we can not see an improvement, just more paperwork for the teachers, to justify their jobs and actually less time spent with the student.
The way things were 35 years ago worked. I can read and write very well, even with dyslexia. Not kids now days. But, that's my opinion.

al of OK 2:51PM February 04, 2010

If it weren't for NCLB, my son would be unidentified as a 10th grader, reading and writing, at a 1st and 2nd grade level, math at a 4th grade level.
His MEAPS and ACT Explore test revealed it all too well, thank God, they were published at state level, district level , so I can compare the atrocities of all sp ed students, not just my child, in my district, to those in general ed. They are ( sp ed ) in some subjects, achieving 90% to 70% lower, than gen ed students.
It sends a message to teachers, Board, Admin, we have a problem, how can we reach the subgroups and bring them up to par.The parents and tax payers can now see, the real picture.

Sp Ed Parent of MI 7:48AM February 03, 2010

What is important is :
1- Parents / Guardian get involve in your children education. Education starts at home
2- More discipline in schools
3- Give responsibilities to children, in particular to High schoolers equal to their rights
4- Public school students to wear Uniforms.
Those points above make the difference and the reason for which students in Private schools score higher and do better than students in public schools.

Edward of NY 9:26PM January 22, 2010

I watched the Nixon - Kennedy debates from 1960. I found it interesting, and rather depressing, that the educational worries, and the "throw more money at it" solutions of 50 years ago are identical to the current ideas and programs.

R.L. Schaefer of CA 12:45PM January 18, 2010

It seems painfully obvious to me that the name of this program says it all. It is a touchy feely name with no substance. For a group to travel forward and leave no one behind it must move at the pace of it's slowest member. As harsh as it sounds there are those who do need to be left behind for the greater good. These are not the least intelligent, or poorest. They are the ones who do not chooses to make any effort. Educating to the lowest common denominator is a race to the bottom.

Craig T of TX 12:08PM January 18, 2010

We have learned yet again, that if government gets involved it is HELL! I am an Elementary teacher in Albany, NY and I really wish all these people would actually ask us, the teachers, on the front line everyday, what we should be doing. Have ANY of these politicans spent any amount of time in a classroom, let alone an INNER CITY SCHOOL? We are there EVERYDAY for our kids and help as much as possible. Is a child who has been awake all night due to the violence and family members who are out of their minds really going to care if they score a "4" on a test that just doesn't make any sense to them?
I am so sick of photo ops and people all around telling educators how to do their jobs. Here is an idea... how about letting us, the dedicated teachers, who have spent hours and years NOT giving up on kids. We understand them, evaluate them, and try our best everyday to get them on greade level and beyond. I have five children in Fifth grade on a SECOND grade reading level. WHY?? Because the "STANDARDS" won't allow us to keep the child back another year, or because home is not a place where they can work and study. Schools CAN NOT solve the loss of the family here in America. It's time for those who have children take responsibilty for the child and let the schools focus on academics instead of social work.
PLEASE, come to my classroom and meet the many children from around the world. Listen to the different languages, listen to the kids today tell their stories of how they are bringing themselves up and struggle to survive. See how exhausted the dedicated teachers are trying to get their kids to learn and be motivated to learn instead of going out for a gun fight or playing video games for hours. You all think it is so easy and we just need to test the daylights out of kids and hold teachers accountable... just spend one full week or even a day with a teacher, then tell me our government officials know what's going on in schools today.
Elizabeth Kelly
Albany City Schools
Albany, New York
I am PROUD to be a teacher... just let me do my job!

Elizabeth Kelly of NY 11:47AM January 18, 2010

We have learned that there in NO place for Federal Government in our LOCAL education. To heII with Head Start. Now that the "drunk" is dead, he did these kids wrong. Local policy should rule and without unions. Teacher unions are the second element in the failure of the system and YES, I B educated real good. No thanks to teachers early on but to hearing Rush L. and wanting to know the truth.
Thanks Rush...
There is so much crap written about "new educational means" and 99% is bunk. Hey, they can't ALL be right now can they? well? Teachers are paid just fine and if you don't like the paY? Try Kmart. I hear they paying $8.00 an hour now with O side dishes. 20 hours a week too.. for those that want that lax work week..
Get government out of everything

PoliticalRectum of CA 4:11AM January 14, 2010

By keeping the same children in each class. It has slowed the class down waiting for them to catch up. It would be better if they were separated according to ability.

Jean Burks of NV 8:37PM January 13, 2010