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Diane Ravitch: No Child Left Behind, Reform Killing Public Education

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NCLB should be scrapped. It was never about education- it was about directing public money into private coffers. End of story.

C R Stephens of KS 11:49AM July 31, 2010

Education reform is best done on an a personal level, one student at a time, not on a comparison platform. For no student to truly be "not left behind" each student should have their own IEP (Individual Education Plan) not just those in "Special Education", afterall, every child should be special! Each and every student's capabilities are unique and they should be treated that way, not herded like cattle into boxcar of antediluvian educational expectations legislated by addlepated Abderites not entrenched in the daily profession of pedagoy.

Bob Bear of TX 10:07AM April 12, 2010

I read this article after a LONG day of standardized testing and can't help but say "Amen!" to Ravitch's comments. The solution to the education dilemma is a complicated one and I certainly don't know the answer. I can describe what doesn't work. As Ravitch points out, linking test scores with teacher accountablity has resulted in a generation of students who only know how to take tests. It is ridculous to measure student knowledge based on one day (or week) of testing. I've heard many college professors complain about the lack of preparedness of today's high school graduates and the students inability to engage and think at a meaningful level. The ramifications of the past 15 years (or more) of test mentality and culture will be far reaching and I think will cause U.S. students to preform poorly in the workplace.
Thank you, Ms. Ravitch for your honesty in addressing this issue.

C. D. of TX 5:29PM April 06, 2010

"when the numbers are what counts, people meet the numbers, even though they sacrifice the goals of the organization"
When district organization (as opposed to its geopolitical nature) emerged in the evolution of American education, reformers of the time looked to no other model than the business firm and superintendents were to be the education equivalent of corporate CEOs. It did not take long for Callahan in Education and the Cult of Efficiency to show that superintendents rather than behaving like philosopher king, were in fact behaving like vulnerable employees. In the process, too many cooks always spoil the broth. Superintendents' failure to take charge and provide leadership for their organiations and the educational enterprise yielded their power to a proliferation of forces--teachers' union, business, and powerful (affluent) parents. Thus, education became a political economy where political power not professionalism determined educational outcomes. The powerful players got what they want at a huge cost to the system and what was left was barely enough to meet the needs of the children of the politically weak and unconnected.
If there is anything to learn from half century of reform is that symptomatic treatment will not eliminate the root causes of our educational malaise. Over time, this politically driven reform has produced a cultural condition where there has been a reversal of relationships.
Such reversal of order now places the school at the center of the enterprise and the schooling organization or district is typically viewed as an entity external to the school, much like the state and federal educational agencies. However, the truth is that a school is a district's student-facing operation, a means for achieving the goals of the district as organization. Today, education researchers and analysts often call on districts to support their schools, what a twist of fate. It is like saying that McDonald restuarants are primary and the MacDonald Corporation is secondary. We all know how absurd this sounds.
It is time for superintendents and their board to place the organization at the center of the educational enterprise and begin to think critically about the purpose of the enterprise (adding maximal educational value to children), work on developing the organization's vision and enterprise strategy, and provide clear communication to each school on developing an operational strategy appropriate to the needs of the students the school was created to serve, provide the schools resources adequate to their tasks, and put in place effective controls that ensure that all members and organizational units function effectively and efficiently to achieve the organization's vision and goals.

Philip Abode of CA 6:45PM March 30, 2010

The real solution to the education problem is to use the same solution we use for almost everything else--get rid of the public schools. Public schools serve only one purpose: keeping the poor kids, the black kids, etc. out of the private schools that the politicians send THEIR kids to.

Greg of TN 5:40PM March 29, 2010

Teach...don't indoctrinate. Skills do matter. You need skills to think Thinking is hard to test. NCLB seems to have evolved into No Child Likes Books...unless they are about wizards or vampires. It is about the students, not their scores and not the latest trend. Yes skills do stay, test scores are a mere snapshop of a moment of a child's day...a high school diploma is supposed to be the one scene in the biography of a child's well rounded life. Did this all start because some countries have higher scores? Countries where you don't get into high school unless you pass an entrance test? What happened to vocational high schools? Business can't affored to be teachers so they have one more excuse to outsource. Teachers and students get blamed for doing what they are told by government...is it still by the people and for the people? Help us when it's our time to collect our needed Soc Sec in our old age...will test scores qualify students for good jobs and high soc sec contributions?

Socrates of MA 9:08PM March 28, 2010

My wife and I have been educators for a combined 46 years of our lives. In that time, we've seen the juggling of the educational system, by the Government,by the State and by the Local School Board, turn into a giant circus that would rival Barnum and Bailey! ALL of these entities have imposed their will and agendas upon public education as if it were some massive experiment. We as educators become obligated to follow through with these imposed mandates through our contractual agreement. However, WE have NO SAY or debate about whether or not they will succeed, how they will be incorporated or if we'll recieve any assistance (financial or otherwise). We just deal with it!!! We find ways to believe that what's being mandated is important because it's coming from "higher up" and SURELY they did their homework before trying to pass any of this legislation! All the while, the children of our great nation are being short changed because WE (the teachers ESPECIALLY) can't seem to get our act together, according to all those on the OUTSIDE of the educational system. We've allowed all forms of government to politicize every aspect of education to the point where we've become lost in the fog. And now everyone is looking to BLAME teachers for the downfall of our educational system? On the contrary, EDUCATION BEGINS and IS SUSTAINED AT HOME!!! When are we going to WAKE UP, TAKE RESPONSIBILITY and MANDATE that PARENTS need to provide their fair share of responsibility in this matter? Our educational system changes will NOT improve through GOVERNMENTAL MANDATES, or catchy slogans like "NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND" (pollyanna) but MUST come from the ROOT of education... WE PARENTS!!! The problem is, too many people have a bad taste in their mouth about school and education and they have a tendancy to pass that attitude along to others, INCLUDING their children! STOP bashing teachers and START thinking of ways to get GOVERNMENT OFF OUR BACKS so we can do our jobs more effectively!!

Ray Sykes of IL 11:09AM March 28, 2010

Ms Ravitch has come full circle. I applaud her honesty and appreciate her validation of what teachers have been saying for a long time now. Children are not scores on a test. In the name of standardized tests we ignore the education of the whole child. We are now producing students who can't read for content, do not know their country's history, where anything is (geography), and have not received the instructional benefit of art and music. I am so sorry for these students. The few who are going to do well are in schools where the Principal and his/her teachers are willing to forego the so called tests, etc. and just teach to the needs of the whole student.
I could go on, but I have to get back to my class. Just one more thought. How does it benefit the education of severely handicapped students to put them through one more test whose results are sent directly to the parents. And the results say to those parents, yes, your child is very slow. As if they don't already know that, very say.

Zoe of CA 2:44PM March 26, 2010

Dear Senators, Editors, Educators, and Concerned Citizens,
I am writing this letter as a Solution to Senate Bill 6. As a parent, educator, and registered voter I am writing to inform you that John Thrasher’s Senate Bill 6 is fundamentally wrong, hypocritical, and violates the American Disabilities Act. I urge you to vote NO on John Thrasher’s Senate Bill 6 for the following reasons.
First, Senate Bill 6 is fundamentally wrong because it requires 50% of teachers’ salaries to be measured by test scores. This is an unacceptable way to pay teachers and measure success. Currently, teaching is an altruistic profession. Teachers want to help students learn. If you are a teacher, you generally go into the profession to make the world a better place, to make a difference, to teach. If teachers’ salaries are based on student test scores, then all teachers will do is teach to the test. If teachers’ mortgage payments are dependent on having the top test scores in the school, not only will teachers only teach to the test, but they would be far less willing to collaborate, share best practices, and help others. Instead, it would create a cut throat atmosphere in our schools and in turn, treat children as a commodity. This could be the beginning of the end of “what teaching is all about.” There would be far less teachable moments, no time for the arts, and infighting about who would get the “best students” in the class. This is not what education is all about. This is not what is best for our children. This is not what is best for the future of the United States of America.
Secondly, John Thrasher’s Senate Bill 6 is hypocritical. John Thrasher’s Senate Bill 6 wants to discontinue paying teachers additional stipends for their expertise in their field. This bill wants to strip teachers of additional incentives for their advanced educational degrees, such as master’s degrees and National Board Certification. Prior to Senate Bill 6, teachers were encouraged to get advanced degrees and compensated. This sends a horrible message to students that education is not important. Furthermore, Senate Bill 6 wants to take away all seniority teachers have accrued. This means that a first year teacher will make as much base salary as a 20 year teacher. As a veteran teacher who has ALWAYS received excellent evaluations and who has counted on step raises to pay my bills and support my family, this is completely unacceptable. As a teacher who has worked for the School Board of Broward County for the past 14 years, the steps mean that I can pay my mortgage and not foreclose on my home. If you pass this bill, it will increase foreclosures and economic down turn in the state of Florida.
Finally, John Thrasher’s Senate Bill 6 violates the American Disabilities Act. As an ESE (exceptional student education) Specialist, I coordinate special education services at my school. To ensure the students in our ESE program are successful I personally place each of

lisa dalachinsky of FL 7:39AM March 26, 2010

If charter schools are endorsed because of the importance creativity and fewer regulations imposed on the teachers, why do the same legislators impose more regulations and punitive measures on regular public schools? The goal of education since 2002 has been test scores, not learning. The curriculum has become an inch deep and a mile wide. NCLB 2.0, based on the rules of RTtT, will exacerbate the problem, and new legislation will be created to "fix" it. What will happen if the national school board (Congress) ever catches its tail? When will states and communities be given back the right and responsibility to administer and regulate public education?
If no law or think tank or committee or experiment or slogan or mass firings "improved" our schools, it might not be the teachers' fault -- there could be another ignored common denominator. Poverty. Maybe it's worth investigating!

S.A. Davidson, Ed.D. of TN 6:57AM March 26, 2010