I’d love to see a fully funded NCLB program, but I’m sure that won’t happen in my fifetime.
I know, most teachers seem to be against, but I’ve lived under some form of NCLB since I started teaching 17 years ago. Back in the 80’s, Ross Perot chaired a committee that was charged to fix education in Texas.
While it isn’t perfect, it sure is better than if we hadn’t done it. Ross Perot committees did some very fair reaching things — and you guys think Laura Bush invented NCLB, as I snort. Nope, it was Ross Perot and his buddies.
They came up with "no pass, no play." Yes, a bit of a PITA, as periodically I have to sign off that my students involved in extracurriculum activities are actually attending, passing their classes, and even behaving themselves. If they don’t, they don’t get to practice, much less play. That goes for athletes, choir members, chess players, and even academic UIL competitors. I love it, because coach gives them a bit more practice if I complain.
They also came up with the concept that teachers should actually be qualified to teach. They made all the teachers back then, pass a basic skills test, and yeah, a few shop teachers failed. Then anyone who wanted to go to school for a teaching certificate had to pass the test too. Yep, even me, with a BS in computer science, had to prove that I could read and write. And boy howdy, was it easy.
They also came up with the concept that you had to pass a test in your subject area and have a certain number of hours in your subject area. I went after a traditional certificate after earning a BS, so I had to have a deficency plan and even had to take 3 hours of CS. I choose System Analysis, which I had been doing for 10+ years and yep, I’d learned to do it the way the textbook taught it. I also had to take 3 hours of speech (not a bad idea), 3 hours of Texas Politics (again, a good idea, since I was educated in annother state, a bunch of hours in pedogy and a bunch of hours of Math, since i figured the dual certification might come in handy (it does — I’m seriously think of cashing in and teaching in a reconstituted school for the extra bucks) and I really like teaching math, it makes me feel useful (more on that some other day).
The next concept was making sure the kids were learning. We have various forms of tests which get progressively harder, if I remember right, the first was TABS, and the kiddos had to be really be bad off not to pass. Then we went to TAAS, now we’re on TAKS. The next progression is End of Course, which we’ve been preparing for around 15 years, if not more. Each version required high school students to pass to graduate. It wasn’t until TAKS and a few years ago, when the lower grades started being held accountable. Someday soon, we’re expected to get children who can read. A few years after that, we’re supposed to get kids that can do math. The bad news, is that they can take it in Spanish until they hit 8th grade. I keep wondering what that poor kid from NIgera does when he’s in 3rd grade, and has to pick between reading in English or Spanish. I keep thinking we need a Swahilli version (no, I am NOT kidding, I’ve taught that kid, okay, his older brother who has to learn English in two year).
There are a lot of things that happened as a result of Ross Perot (and some funding issues). One thing is that we’re pretty agressive about making kids come to school and even more aggressive about making teachers teach. I do now that it is lacking in your neighboring state of Louisiana, because 3 years ago I taught Katrina kids, and they didn’t recognize either event. Now, I can understand that when you’ve lost everything in a hurricane and are living with relatives, that the going to school everyday night be hard, but I’d think you’d know how to sit down and listen in a classroom, but apparently a teacher that actually does classroom management and makes you do that is foreign.
So no, I’m for a properly admisisted NCLB program. Who knows, maybe all the kids will actually get taught?