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Name: Heather
Location: Texas, United States
Birthday: 6/20/1979
Interests: education, music, movies, travel, reading, education reform, teaching for social justice
Occupation: Education/training
Industry: Education/Research
Message: message meEmail: email me
Website: visit my website
Member Since:
5/3/2004
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| a statement worth reading if you care anything about education, kids, social justice...
Ten Moral Concerns in the Implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act
A Statement of the National Council of Churches Committee on Public
Education and Literacy
Christian faith speaks to public morality and the ways our nation should
bring justice and compassion into its civic life. This call to justice is
central to needed reform in public education, America’s largest civic
institution, where enormous achievement gaps alert us that some children
have access to excellent education while other children are left behind.
The No Child Left Behind Act * is a federal law passed in 2001 that
purports to address educational inequity. Now several years into No Child
Left Behind’s implementation, as its hundreds of sequential regulations
have begun to be triggered, it is becoming clear that the law is leaving
behind more children than it is saving. The children being abandoned are
our nation’s most vulnerable children—children of color and poor children
in America’s big cities and remote rural areas—the very children the law
claims it will rescue. We examine ten moral concerns in the law’s
implementation.
1. While it is a civic responsibility to insist that schools do a better
job of educating every child, we must also recognize that undermining
support for public schooling threatens our democracy. The No Child Left
Behind Act sets an impossibly high bar—that every single student will be
proficient in reading and math by 2014. We fear that this law will
discredit public education when it becomes clear that schools cannot
possibly realize such an ideal.
2. The No Child Left Behind Act has neither acknowledged where children
start the school year nor celebrated their individual accomplishments. A
school where the mean eighth grade math score for any one subgroup grows
from a third to a sixth grade level has been labeled a “in need of
improvement” (a label of failure) even though the students have made
significant progress. The law has not acknowledged that every child is
unique and that thresholds are merely benchmarks set by human beings. Now,
four years into implementation, the Department of Education has stated it
will begin experimenting with permitting 10 states to measure student
growth. Too many children will continue to be labeled failures even though
they are making strides.
3. Because the No Child Left Behind Act ranks schools according to test
score thresholds of children in every demographic subgroup, a “failing
group of children” will know when they are the ones who made their school a
“failing” school. They risk being shamed among their peers, by their
teachers and by their community. The No Child Left Behind Act has renamed
this group of children the school’s “problem group.” In some schools
educators have felt pressured to counsel students who lag far behind into
alternative programs so they won’t be tested. This has increased the
dropout rate.
4. The No Child Left Behind Act requires children in special education to
pass tests designed for children without disabilities.
5. The No Child Left Behind Act requires English language learners to take
tests in English before they learn English. It calls their school a failure
because they have not yet mastered academic English.
6. The No Child Left Behind Act blames schools and teachers for many
challenges that are neither of their making nor within their capacity to
change. The test score focus obscures the importance of the quality of the
relationship between the child and teacher. Sincere, often heroic efforts
of teachers are made invisible. While the goals of the law are important—to
proclaim that every child can learn, to challenge every child to dream of a
bright future, and to prepare all children to contribute to
society—educators also need financial and community support to accomplish
these goals.
“Too often, criticism of the public schools fails to reflect our present
societal complexity. At a moment when childhood poverty is shamefully
widespread, when many families are under constant stress, when schools are
often limited by lack of funds or resources, criticism of the public
schools often ignores an essential truth: we cannot believe that we can
improve public schools by concentrating on the schools alone. They alone
can neither cause nor cure the problems we face. In this context, we must
address with prayerful determination the issues of race and class, which
threaten both public education and democracy in America.” —The Churches and
the Public Schools at the Close of the Twentieth Century, National Council
of Churches Policy Statement, November 11, 1999 * For an explanation of the
provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act, consult: Using NCLB to Improve
Student Achievement: An Action Guide for Community and Parent Leaders,
Public Education Network,
http://www.publiceducation.org/pdf/nclb/nclbbook.pdf . “Most tellingly,
the schools that offer the least to their students are often schools
serving poor children, among whom children of color figure
disproportionately, as they do in all the shortfalls of our common life.
Indeed, the coexistence of neglect of schools and neglect of other aspects
of the life of people who are poor makes it clear that no effort to improve
education in the United States can ignore the realities of racial and class
discrimination in our society as a whole.” —The Churches and the Public
Schools at the Close of the Twentieth Century, National Council of Churches
Policy Statement, November 11, 1999
7. The relentless focus on testing basic skills in the No Child Left Behind
Act obscures the role of the humanities, the arts, and child and adolescent
development. While education should cover basic skills in reading and math,
the educational process should aspire to far more. We believe education
should help all children develop their gifts and realize their
promise—intellectually physically, socially, and ethically. The No Child
Left Behind Act treats children as products to be tested, measured and made
more uniform.
8. Because the No Child Left Behind Act operates through sanctions, it
takes federal Title I funding away from educational programing in already
overstressed schools and uses these funds to bus students to other schools
or to pay for private tutoring firms. A “failing” school district may not
be permitted to create its own public tutoring program, but it is expected
to create the capacity to regulate private firms that provide tutoring for
its students. One of the sanctions provided is to close or reconstitute the
“failing” school or to make it into a charter school, but in many places
charter schools are unregulated.
9. The No Child Left Behind Act exacerbates racial and economic segregation
in metropolitan areas by rating homogeneous, wealthier school districts as
excellent, while labeling urban districts with far more subgroups and more
complex demands made by the law as “in need of improvement.” Such labeling
of schools and districts encourages families with means to move to wealthy,
homogeneous school districts.
10. The late Senator Paul Wellstone wrote, “It is simply negligent to force
children to pass a test and expect that the poorest children, who face
every disadvantage, will be able to do as well as those who have every
advantage. When we do this, we hold children responsible for our own
inaction and unwillingness to live up to our own promises and our own
obligations.” The No Child Left Behind Act makes demands on states and
school districts without fully funding reforms that would build capacity to
close achievement gaps. To enable schools to comply with the law’s
regulations and to create conditions that will raise achievement, society
will need to increase federal funding for the schools that serve our
nation’s most vulnerable children and to keep Title I funds focused on
instruction rather than on transportation and school choice.
Christian faith demands, as a matter of justice and compassion, that we be
concerned about public schools. The No Child Left Behind Act approaches the
education of America’s children through an inside-the-school management
strategy of increased productivity rather than providing resources and
support for the individuals who will shape children’s lives. As people of
faith we do not view our children as products to be tested and managed but
instead as unique human beings to be nurtured and educated. We call on our
political leaders to invest in developing the capacity of all schools. Our
nation should be judged by the way we care for our children.
National Council of Churches Committee on Public Education and Literacy
For more information, contact:
Rev. David Brown (staff)
Jan Resseger (chair)
http://www.ncccusa.org/nmu/mce/educaministr.html#anchorwgpel
“Our nation’s teachers are asked to change lives and solve problems with
resources nowhere near commensurate with the task while facing constant
criticism by politicians, the public and the press for their alleged
failures and inadequacies...” — National Council of Churches Resolution:
The Churches and Public Schools, adopted November 5, 2003
** so here's a pic of some kids that our school system calls "failing"--they're amazing if you really know them...they're more than a number on a piece of paper...their learning goes far beyond what a test can measure...and I love them...so when you have a chance, speak out against no child left behind and get involved in a kid's or teacher's life if you really want to know about what goes on in schools- great things are happening in spite of all the bs our government is dishing out.
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| Warning--lengthy, rambling, and emotional
I am a teacher...
for some reason that statement has taken on new meaning, or maybe i'm thinking about it in new ways
i went to visit a former student yesterday...i've known him for a year and a half, though he finally became one of "my kids" this year when he walked into my classroom in August...then a few weeks ago, he walked out- their car broke, they moved across town, he's going to a new school. this little boy has my heart...i love this kid and want so deeply for him to succeed(whatever that means) i want him to be happy, confident, loved, treasured
we had a rocky start to our year-he used to scream "i hate you", punch the wall and kick desks, clench his fists and throw himself on the floor... he sat in my lap and sobbed as we rocked, he is tough and fragile, he hurts deeply and he loves too...and he has a lot of anger in a little body.
well somehow as we traveled through this fall together, he became to scream less and smile more, he began to throw his arms around me instead of throw himself on the floor, he began to take deep breaths instead of hit the wall, he began to read, to BE a reader, to do something well, to learn, to get better, and to not give up- even when it's hard.
i took him home somedays and we'd talk about family, about Austin, about people:white, hispanic, black, what that means and where they live and why it is that way, we talked about movies and music, and how much he's changed and learned...
and now he's not "my kid" anymore...or so i thought...but he is...i am a teacher-inside and out of my classroom...i teach multiplication and love...i teach reading and self-control, i teach spelling and the power of words...i teach-- not subjects or skills...but people, mostly children, but others too.
as i walked up to him in the parking lot of his apartment complex yesterday, he smiled and hugged me and then shouted to his mom, " my teacher's here" (for just a moment i thought, i'm not his teacher anymore)
thinking of that moment and the joy my heart was filled with as he said those words, i thought about Jesus...is that the joy he feels when we call on him, does he hurt the same way when we're away from him, is that what it looked like when the children came to him, do i relate to him as a teacher...my teacher, and the teacher i want to be for my kids...
I get so bogged down in the CRAP that is our public school system, nclb, mandates, testing, all in the name of "accountability" it's so hard to have the energy to fight that junk and pour myself into these kids...the system, the crap, sucks the life out of me somedays...and the emotional needs of my kids demand so much of my heart...that sometimes i just feel empty.
i am so thankful to know living water, grace, hope for a new day, mercy, spirit groanings when i dont know what to pray, love and hope that is more than enough for me and for my kids.
i am thankful for a Jesus who was frustrated with "the system" and overturned tables, who let the children come to him and called us to be like them, who gave and gave until the end, and still gives so that we might have hope.
in this season of advent, we(at the abbey) are reading, learning, embracing- waiting...it's really hard for me...but my eyes are opening to the significance, and the beauty in the waiting... it fills me with hope: for a educational system that's a mess, for kids whose hearts and souls are bruised and broken, for teachers who feel poured out, for people and cities who feel lost and hopeless Lord, help me be like Isaiah and see your beauty, your plan, your heart in all the messes in and around me. | | |
| so i've been avoiding blogging...but for some reason I feel like it tonight.
I'm actually writing a lot more-none of which is quite ready to make a debut in the public world.
hmmm...been a weird week...
halloween-should never be on a monday! for the sanity of all teachers. we are still recooperating....tired, emotional, sugar-high kids
dia de los muertos- found me embracing and learning from another culture/community(as is my constant state these days it seems like) and missing Claire & Granny tons. it's an interesting holiday, trying to unite christian beliefs w/ indigenous...it kinda laughs at death, rather than fear it and celebrates the ways that our loved ones who have gone before us are still with us and celebrates the things they like. My students and I wrote letters to loved ones we'd lost...wow-i learned so much about my kids and enjoyed sharing with them about Claire.
all saints day- again I found myself thinking of Claire and Granny. we did the all saints day littany here at the abbey, asking a number of saints to pray on our behalf. it was pretty moving to realize the unity, yet beautiful diversity in the ways we serve one god.
spent some time with old friends this week...very refreshing- i've missed them and am glad to be in touch again.
made some new friends...which is not always easy for me, but felt good...I'm growing hopefully a little less introverted.
re-enrolled at ut...2 classes this spring, then a graduation party in May!
loving my kids, learning, learning, learning...sometimes I think I'm doing more learning than teaching...but I think I'm ok with that right now.
ok...i'm tired...off to sleep. Lord- please let the candy run out and peace prevail in my classroom tomorrow...and thank you for helping me to love them-even when they drive me crazy. protect their little hearts and souls Amen | | |
| www.myspace.com/heatherataylor
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| at a dear friend's request, I thought I'd post.
Hmmm...what to say. I've been writing more lately, not ready to share all that stuff yet.
I think I'll refer to this year of my life as the learning curve...I just can't even begin to explain all that is going on in my head and heart, and even my stomache sometimes as I venture through these "experiments" I have found my way to this year.
I am amazed at the way God is moving in and through the people around me
I am blessed to be a part of a community to pray with, grow with, laugh with
I am surprised by how truly different the East side is from the West side and yet the same in some ways
I am overwhelmed by the realization that people of all ages, ethnicity, and backgrounds are desperately seeking love and acceptance in all kinds of ways
I am convinced that God is what they are seeking whether or not they know it and that He is the love I'm praying they'll find
I am learning that just being there does matter
I am giving thanks, in awe of God's provision
I am frustrated with our public education system and lawmakers
I am hopeful...even when it is not easy
ok...lots of "I ams" - sorry...it's all I could muster tonight. | | |
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