The Facts About No Child Left Behind
According to the information I read on the governments education website, these are the facts on NCLB (No Child Left Behind). I have included my own thoughts on these facts.
Funding - NCLB gives school districts more money. Giving school districts more money is not always a good idea, especially if they are not spending it appropriately. How many school district are overpaying their top administrators and not putting the money into the classrooms, where it is most needed? How many of you know exactly what your school district does with the money they receive?
Flexibility - NCLB gives states and school districts more control and more flexibility to use resources where they are needed most. I thought they were supposed to be doing this all along.
Accountability - NCLB holds schools and school districts accountable for results. Here is another area that doesn't make sense to me. Schools should have always been held accountable for educating children. No child should have ever been left behind. When did this change?
School District Report Cards - NCLB gives parents report cards so they can see which schools in their district are succeeding and why. There has been a school report card in place for a number of years (before NCLB). Federal funding for schools relied on them receiving a good grade. They were usually given a certain amount of time to improve on any issues found.
Public School Choice - NCLB may let you transfer your child to another public school if the state says that your child's school is "in need of improvement." This is also not something new. Some of the states have been doing this for sometime. Parents have always had a certain right to change schools if they felt that their child was not receiving an appropriate education.
Extra Help with Learning - NCLB may also provide your child with free tutoring and extra help with schoolwork if the state says your child's school has been "in need of improvement" for at least 2 years. Many schools have offered after school free tutoring in the past. Sometimes this was paid for my monies the parent teacher organization raised, or private donors. Sometimes, teachers just volunteered their time.
Parental Involvement - NCLB requires schools to develop ways to get parents more involved in their child's education and in improving the school. This has always been the biggest concern I have had. Too few parents are involved with what is happening in the schools. The various schools that I have taught at, have always had different things going on to get parents more involved, but the problem has always been the lack of parent participation.
Measuring Knowledge - NCLB requires states to test your child in reading and math every year in grades 3-8 and at least once in high school. We test children all the time, for everything under the sun. Enough. Measuring a child's knowledge can be done in so many different ways. Too much emphasize is put on these yearly test and often stress our children to the breaking point.
Scientifically Based Research - NCLB focuses on teaching methods that have been proven by research to work. There are many different teaching models available. There is no specific science on how to teach. Most teachers will study their students habits, learn how their students acquire information and try to teach using as many different types of methods that work for them. Many teachers adapt the way they teach over time. It is important to use all the senses when teaching, as we all learn through different ways. Every child is different and we need to reach all of them.
Reading First - NCLB provides more than one billion dollars a year to help children learn to read. If parents would start their children reading at an early age, we might not have as much problems with teaching children to read. I do believe strongly that reading should play an important role throughout school. Reading is the most important subject a child can be taught, as everything we do requires us to read. Get a library card and get your children interested in books and not television or video games.
Teacher Quality - NCLB provides funding to help teachers learn to be better teachers. It is important to have a quality person teaching your children. At the same time, if the government wants to ensure that all teachers are highly qualified, then they need to give them the time and monies to achieve that goal. Not all school districts have made these funds available to their teachers. Does yours?
Funding - NCLB gives school districts more money. Giving school districts more money is not always a good idea, especially if they are not spending it appropriately. How many school district are overpaying their top administrators and not putting the money into the classrooms, where it is most needed? How many of you know exactly what your school district does with the money they receive?
Flexibility - NCLB gives states and school districts more control and more flexibility to use resources where they are needed most. I thought they were supposed to be doing this all along.
Accountability - NCLB holds schools and school districts accountable for results. Here is another area that doesn't make sense to me. Schools should have always been held accountable for educating children. No child should have ever been left behind. When did this change?
School District Report Cards - NCLB gives parents report cards so they can see which schools in their district are succeeding and why. There has been a school report card in place for a number of years (before NCLB). Federal funding for schools relied on them receiving a good grade. They were usually given a certain amount of time to improve on any issues found.
Public School Choice - NCLB may let you transfer your child to another public school if the state says that your child's school is "in need of improvement." This is also not something new. Some of the states have been doing this for sometime. Parents have always had a certain right to change schools if they felt that their child was not receiving an appropriate education.
Extra Help with Learning - NCLB may also provide your child with free tutoring and extra help with schoolwork if the state says your child's school has been "in need of improvement" for at least 2 years. Many schools have offered after school free tutoring in the past. Sometimes this was paid for my monies the parent teacher organization raised, or private donors. Sometimes, teachers just volunteered their time.
Parental Involvement - NCLB requires schools to develop ways to get parents more involved in their child's education and in improving the school. This has always been the biggest concern I have had. Too few parents are involved with what is happening in the schools. The various schools that I have taught at, have always had different things going on to get parents more involved, but the problem has always been the lack of parent participation.
Measuring Knowledge - NCLB requires states to test your child in reading and math every year in grades 3-8 and at least once in high school. We test children all the time, for everything under the sun. Enough. Measuring a child's knowledge can be done in so many different ways. Too much emphasize is put on these yearly test and often stress our children to the breaking point.
Scientifically Based Research - NCLB focuses on teaching methods that have been proven by research to work. There are many different teaching models available. There is no specific science on how to teach. Most teachers will study their students habits, learn how their students acquire information and try to teach using as many different types of methods that work for them. Many teachers adapt the way they teach over time. It is important to use all the senses when teaching, as we all learn through different ways. Every child is different and we need to reach all of them.
Reading First - NCLB provides more than one billion dollars a year to help children learn to read. If parents would start their children reading at an early age, we might not have as much problems with teaching children to read. I do believe strongly that reading should play an important role throughout school. Reading is the most important subject a child can be taught, as everything we do requires us to read. Get a library card and get your children interested in books and not television or video games.
Teacher Quality - NCLB provides funding to help teachers learn to be better teachers. It is important to have a quality person teaching your children. At the same time, if the government wants to ensure that all teachers are highly qualified, then they need to give them the time and monies to achieve that goal. Not all school districts have made these funds available to their teachers. Does yours?
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