What the No Child Left Behind Law Means for Your Child
Page 5 of 5
By GreatSchools Staff
Few Students Take Advantage of School Choice, Tutoring
Only about 1.6% of students eligible to transfer from low-performing schools did so in 2005-2006, a percentage that hasn't changed much since 2002-2003 when the option was first offered. The Center for Education Policy survey suggested that families didn't choose to change because they were satisfied with their current schools, wanted to go to schools in their neighborhoods or were discouraged by long commutes.
But others have accused school districts of failing to notify parents of their option to transfer. School choice advocates took legal action on these complaints and sued the Los Angeles and Compton, California, school districts in 2006.
Only 20% of students eligible for free tutoring are getting it. School districts and for-profit tutoring companies are sparring over the reasons why. Some tutoring companies say districts have failed to inform families in a clear and timely way that students are eligible for tutoring. Some school officials have pointed to the lack of oversight of tutoring companies and say the quality of services has been wildly uneven.
In an attempt to increase the number of students getting tutoring, the federal government changed the rules in 2006 for 23 school districts in Alaska, Delaware, Indiana, North Carolina and Virginia. In these districts, students in schools that have failed to meet goals for two years are eligible for free services and don't have to wait for their schools to fail a third time.
NCLB Prompts Protests, Revolts
As the increasingly strict provisions and penalties of the law have taken effect, protests over the law have grown in scores of states, where officials complain that the law requires them to spend dollars they don't have.
The single biggest criticism is that the federal government has not fully funded the law, a charge the Bush administration counters by saying that the law is a partnership between the U.S. government and the states.
The New York Times reported in 2006 that the Bush administration has increased education spending since the Clinton era, but the money for No Child Left Behind stayed at $24.5 billion in 2004 and 2005. The administration cut funding for 2006 to $23.5 billion, the Times reported.
Others argue that the law imposes a rigid solution to problems historically better solved at the state and local levels. Utah decided in 2005 to forfeit federal money rather than follow the law. Other districts and states have filed legal challenges or are contemplating them.
While praising the law's goals, the bipartisan National Conference of State Legislatures has called for more flexibility and more money.
In response to the criticisms, the federal government has loosened some of the rules for some states. But critics, on the left and right, say the law creates a number of other problems:
- Officials can "game" the system because each state sets its own criteria for meeting many of the law's requirements. States can make tests easier so that more students can meet proficiency standards. Critics argue that this is exactly what has happened in some cases. And despite a requirement in the law that parents be allowed to transfer children out of unsafe schools, not a single one of California's more than 9,000 schools has ever been classified as "persistently dangerous," a conclusion questioned by federal auditors.
- The law jeopardizes privacy rights. The U.S. military has the right to obtain lists from high schools of students' names, addresses and phone numbers for recruiting purposes, and must be granted the same access to schools that is given to college and business recruiters. Parents who oppose this practice may "opt out," but schools have not always made this provision clear.
- NCLB conflicts with another federal law, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act. This law entitles students with learning disabilities to an education that meets their needs. The federal government has given states more leeway in measuring student progress in response to protests from parents of children with special needs. But critics say the government hasn't gone far enough. The law's advocates respond that it is this very accountability requirement that will ultimately improve instruction for learning-disabled students.
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Comments from GreatSchools.org readers
11/30/2009:
"this thing needs to be done away with. a simple test on the computer does
not ensure that the child knows the work. they could guess the whole way
through and still pass. and the two months used to prepare for the test
are two months that the kids could be learning something. its such a waste
of time. they actually teach you how to pass the test, not whats on it.
not mention this doesnt help the smart kids. the way public schools work
needs to be done away with also.i went to public school my whole life and
my sister is a teacher in the public school system and it keeps getting
more ridiculous every year. some parents send their young kids to school
knowing NOTHING; not even simple morals and values like sit in your chair,
be good, and listen when the teacher is speaking. the older kids act as if
they DON'T WANT TO LEARN. they are nothing but a disturbance and it doesnt
help the kids who actually want to learn. i think public schools need to
be more like private schools. if !
the child is acting as if they dont want to be there and if they are
disturbing the class and making it harder for the teacher to teach and
other kids to learn, then the school should have a right to put them out.
there is no need for them to be there. trust me, i know. some class
periods the teacher would spend the entire time dealing with one bad kid
and the rest of us wouldnt learn anything for that class period. and who
is complaining that teachers need to do their job? teachers are there to
teach, not babysit your child. but thats what it seems like parents expect
these days. and also, do you know how hard and frustrating it is to teach
when you have kids who act like monsters in your class? you have no idea.
thats why people dont even want to be teachers anymore. the kids are
horrible. the nclb act isnt going to help anything. the problems need to
fixed at home first. raise the kids so they act like they have some sense
and so they have the desire to learn. kids dont !
care about school anymore, thats the problem that needs to be !
fixed."
11/30/2009:
"I believe the comment CRAIG MICHAELS left was by far the most ignorant of
any. Its very sad to think that he believes this is actually generally
about race. I happen to be an African-American person from a low-income
family that attended a title 1 school when I was younger. From grades K-12
I was ALWAYS in the top 5% of my class. I was not upset with what he said
but I want to merely point out his ignorance. As far as the NCLB I grew up
as a very gifted student and always had problems with my test scores
reflecting my exceptional work in the classroom, with that being said I
completley disagree with having a cumulative test for children under the
high school level. I read a previous comment about someone feeling that
their special needs child should be in a classroom with other children and
not be singled out. If the roles were reversed I think that he/she
probably would complain if their child was not offered special attention
for their special needs. I do know that sometim!
es unqualified teachers are placed in those positions, but in most cases
those positions don't require the same level of education as general
students becuase most special needs children are not on those levels of
learning. That is just logical to me and obviously to others. I personally
in high school would be very offened if I had classes with someone with
special needs. Not because of they are different physically but because we
would be on two totally different spectrums of learning and that would
hold me back in a class that I was not already being challenged in. That
is exactly what special needs classes are for to give them direct
attention that is very much needed to cope with their learning abilities.
I think you should be very thankful! My high school did not offer classes
for the gifte students that werent being challenged so its not always
about the latter on the learning spectrum.
I do believe some teachers work very hard to educate students only to have
it slapped back in their face with students that dont put forth and
effort, but on the same token their are teachers that are just as lazy as
the next teenage boy. I came from a very small town and went to a title 1
school and gradauted in the top 5%, but becasue the requirements were
lowered to meet state goals I SUFFERED when I got to college. I had to
work twice as hard as the next student because not because I was dumb or
didnt try but because what I was taught in high school other students
learned in high school. SO overall this NCLB needs some alterations!"
11/20/2009:
"thank you very much for this information.
Now, Could you please let me know how i can apply for this program for my
son."
11/20/2009:
"Being in the school system i know first hand how sad this act turned out
to be. Though intentions where good, and the grade averages have gone up,
looking good to the government 'on paper' this is due to the ' Dumbed down
test' The so called stricter testing requirements and penalties they
believe to be a direct result to our ' only slightly rising grade
averages.' I on the other hand are forced to take those tests not because
my school believes its to measure my knowledge or to find out in what
spots i need help, but so they can get there so beloved grants. Since the
world only turns as we know it because of money and how much we have in
our pockets it brought out the WORST in our school system. New younger
arrogant money hungry teachers are being taught the bare minimum my
thoughts are to save money training them, i know being a teacher isn't the
best paying job and i admire the few teachers who do it because they enjoy
it but we should put more care in the people we hir!
e to teach our kid don't you think, background checks are great but what
about the character but there integrity once being put in a working
environment with one of my teachers ' I will call this Teacher IT, because
i'm childish' I found out jest how little they think of us. IT not only
ignored my advise and warnings putting fishing nets we were getting paid
to assist by water in danger because even though this was ITS first day on
the job i an i grew up doing it IT refused to listen to me because i was a
student and it was not my place to be telling him what to do, long
aggravating story short IT was the cause of a 29000 dollar loss in the
fishing inderesty, my mom being the boss fired him for his negligence .
Thinking it was my fault IT and his wife 'bolth is my school system' made
my life miserable. Im now in Home schooling and half to say i love it the
online teachers are helpful and sadly pay more attention then public
teachers. You get to learn at your own pase and t!
hey doint depersonalize there students. I truly recommend home!
school. The really sad thing is that i respected IT, so i asked my mom
to hire him, and against her better judgment she did though no one ever
got mad at me i feel that somehow its my fault. Thats only one of my
reasons we need to not cut cost ware it counts, instead of a couple of new
trees out front for the image of a happy altogether school how about some
new books. I truly recommend home school, at least tell the schools and
the NCLB act can sort out this pathetic act to lie to our parents.
"
11/17/2009:
"I am appalled by the comments I have read, and I have only read a few. It
is important to 'mix' the 'smart kids' with the 'special ed' kids. how do
you suppose the special ed kids feel when they are singled out? How else
will we work on accepting others for who they are.. we need to be
proactive in treating oppressed groups, through inclusion and acceptance,
not separation and aggression.
Also, if you really 'would have killed someone to start a program' to
challenge you, then why didnt you challenge YOURSELF and engage yourself
deeper into the materials at hand? I disagree in your blaming of the
schools. America is in dire need of educating those who are labeled with
having difficulties in schools. Look at the drop-out rates-they are high,
look at the rates of those who can't read-they are high. If we focus on
those that are smart too much, we will continue to have higher rates in
the areas above. I do think there is a type of responsibility to provide
students with challenging curiculum, yet, teachers are unaware of
students' needs, unless they voice them directly. I suppose you did not,
otherwise your teacher would have given you more assignments to
'challenge' you. Step outside of your box for a moment and have
compassion."
11/9/2009:
"When many people think of having 'no child left being,' they focus
completely on the kids who are having difficulties in school. I am not
arguing that those students should not get the help they deserve; it is
very important for them to be taken care of. However, by not creating
programs for the kids who do 'get it' or are 'gifted,' they are being left
behind. I just graduated and I would have killed for someone to start a
program to challenge me. I hardly ever had to try in school, i just got
left in the position I was in. No one trying to improve me, challenge me,
or teach me. America is killing intellectualism by not also providing
help to the students who need to be challenged. Many students in my
graduating class were in the same situation as myself. The system needs
to start creating programs that aid both sides of the spectrum. No wonder
American school systems are so far behind much of the world's...they do
not push students to excel, only to be good enough !
to pass. "
10/19/2009:
"That is not true both my children have been placed on a long wait list so
it really is some children wont get left behind. Mind you both children
have struggled with math all there life and never received any help!!!!"
10/19/2009:
"the overview for no child left behind and how do it help the child?"
10/7/2009:
"they are still puttinq kids out of school & not even carinq abt weather or
not they graduate!"
10/6/2009:
"I kind of hate this too my daughter has been in tons of classes with
special eduction kids even though she is smart and does better on her isat
then most kids plus its crazy how some schools are more than 8 hours i
work for 7 and a half hours and i know how much work is involved also the
teacher last year in the 5 grade wanted to retain my daughter in grade 5
maybe because the teacher DID NOT explain things good enough she still was
a trainee not a real teacher yet but now in the 6 grade my daughter got
her first report card and all A,s were on it"
09/24/2009:
"ok number one the country is already bankrupt so to say that his one law
will make the country go bankrupt is redundant. and if the teachers can't
handle the stress of having to put a little more effort into thinking of
ways to help their students (which is their job by the way) then they need
to be replaced. hence the teacher replacement clause in the act. the act
is a good thing and a flawed thing. just like everything to government
does. maybe if you all stopped complainig for once and got off your butt
and helped your child succeed at home as well as at school no kids would
be left behind and this wouldnt be a problem. "
08/13/2009:
"i think this law should be expanded... i dont think that if you live in
one school district that you shouldnt be denied the oppuratunity to go to
another school, if you were at that school the previous year."
08/11/2009:
"I am totally dumb founded at all the comments i have read. I am a mother
of an autistic child. As like many things in life there are pros and cons
to each situation. With that being said i fault everyone but the
children.( They rely on us parents,teachers,counselors,etc... for GUIDANCE
they are in the learning phase of life) I have fought for my child to to
have every oppertunity that a NORMAL child has and i don't like the word
Normal.( What really is normal) You think it is so easy for disabled
children well your wrong. My son has been put with teachers that have NO
education under their belts for a special needs children. All i ever hear
is about the normal kids well when i have approached the school board with
solutions they find ways to avoid them so it will work and my solutions
are not just for my son but the classroom as a whole so that noone
suffers. My son stems and also has adhd and i have asked forever for an
aid to keep him redirected, and to make it easier for!
everyone. Ha ha ha, that is a no... You see if he had an aid the teacher
wouldn't have to stop to help him and redirect him, but seeing as the
teaacher does have to do this you have children sitting there waiting and
loosing out curriculmn falls behind and they have no clue there could be a
kid with comprehension problems and now they are lost cause the teacher
had to stop. This is just one small example. The sat;s are all that are
taught and it is all money based issues!!! When i saw in the coments below
that teachers are not allowed to teach this is so very true, i remember
when i went to school and were taught today it is only about what is on
the sat test that is taught nothing more nothing less.My son is very smart
and does very well he amazes his teachers he only has a few quirks and
overall does well the NCLB has helped in many ways and hurt in many ways,
it can be improved but for that to happen they need to listen to parents.
You have a bunch of old people sitting!
up there they have not had to deal with any of the issues at !
hand personally and they just vote not knowing all the facts. I will
fight i am sure till my son graduates and will do so proudly for him and
do what ever takes to make things possible for him as well as the other
students around him. Everyone needs to be educated. I have had teachers
that are terrible and i have had teachers that are totally amazing, the
ones that are amazing are the ones that care about teaching the ones that
were terrible are there just for a paycheck. So where i sit from i blame
the parents too that dont fight for the kids and stay on top of things, i
feel for the parents that fight cause the battles are exhausting long and
drawn out, and when the schools say parents get involved don't make me
laugh cause when you do then they avoid you for you to do so, example the
lady that wrote the school told her to get her son his GED wow what kind
of support system is that... and the Govt well that goes without saying no
need to elaborate on them. I make sure eve!
ry year that i revamp the studies from the school year when school lets
out and prepare for the upcoming things to be taught and this really
helps, i do this all by myself i have learned to be creative to make
things be the best that they can be. I will not stand by and have people
knock my son for getting what he needs cause he is disabled, he has just
as much right as the next person to be there to learn and to adapt as the
next child disabled or not. "
06/8/2009:
"Hi,
I have worked for a title 1 school in Florida for the past five years.
Most of the children retained, in my view, have nothing more wrong with
them then being 'curriculum impaired'. It is very sad to see our youth
viewing themselves as failures before the age of 10.
I am not afraid of speaking out or losing my job for doing so. I know in
my heart that we are doing our children a lifelong terrible disservice by
not protesting NCLB.
I read recently about the television program titled 'Jehrico'. sp? At any
rate, its producers decided to cancel the show due to lack of ratings.
Proponents of the program joined together and protested. Apparently there
was a character on the program who always said 'nuts'. So, this group
decided to bombard the producers with bags of nuts as a protest. The
producers in turn returned the show to the air for more episodes.
There is no reason we as parents and teachers can not follow their lead.
What would you think of doing something like:
Dear NCLB legislators,
No child left behind?
I have been left behind ____ times!
Post a picture of your child (not smiling) in/or on the letter, frame it
(so it will take up lots of room!) and mail it to:
US Department of Education
400 Maryland Ave, SW
Washington, DC 20202
"
05/12/2009:
"I am doing a research project for my English II class and I'm trying to
find ways that the community, parents, and teachers can help out with the
No Child Left Behind Act. Any suggestions?"
05/11/2009:
" Wow! I am a parent as well as a teacher and cannot believe the amount of
excuses coming from parents about their children. One parent is blaming
all of her daughters teachers for the lack of accountablity that was
taught to her daughter. Now that her 21 year old cannot hold down a job
it must be the teachers fault. Are you kidding me?! Sorry mom, that one
falls on you!!! Sounds like you have been making excuses for your
daughter the majority of her life. Other parents on here want to believe
that all teachers just pass through students and really do not teach at
all. The government is the one you want to place blame on. They have
taken away our right to teach, with classroom sizes of 35 it is no longer
teaching it is babysitting. It is impossible to use the NCLB standards in
a classroom with 35 individuals whos needs very considerably. Now the
government tells us what we have to teach and how to do it. The idea
behind NCLB was great; however, poorly written and n!
ot financially backed by the government has made more problems for
schools, teachers, and more importantly your children. "
04/29/2009:
"COPY AND PASTA IF YOU AGREE!
'I HAVE READ 'THE NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND LAW,' TO BE HONEST WHEN I FIRST
HEARD ABOUT IT I KNEW IT WAS GOING TO BE GREAT AND KIDS WOULD HAVE A
CHANCE TO HAVE A BETTER FUTURE, BUT NOW THAT I HAVE A SON WHO HAS TROUBLE
LEARNING AND I SEE THAT THE SCHOOL IS DOING NOTHING FOR THE PAST 2 YEARS,
I ASK MYSELF, WHAT IS THE PURPOSE F THIS CHILD NO LEFT BEHIND ACT? MY SON
IS 7 AND FOR A LONG TIME I HAVE KNOWN HE NEEDS HELP LEARNING AND
UNDERSTANDING THE MATERIAL TAUGHT IN SCHOOL. BUT THE TEACHERS ARE NOT
LISTENING AND THEY FEEL MY SON BEING RETAINED WILL HELP. NO ONE KNOWS A
CHILD LIKE THE PARENTS DO, MY SON WONT DO HIS HOMEWORK BECAUSE HE DOESNT
UNDERSTAND IT, HIS SISTERS AND I TRY TO EXPLAIN AND HE GETS FRUSTRATED,
WHEN I TELL HIS TEACHER THIS SHE DECIDED TO GIVE HIM EASIER HOMEWORK SO
THAT SHE DOESNT HAVE TO SPEND ANYTIME WITH HIM BECAUSE SHE HAS OTHER
STUDENTS. I DONT THINK THIS IS RIGHT BECAUSE NOW MY SON HAS TO REPEAT THE
FIRST GRADE, SINCE KINDERGARTEN IVE BEEN TELLING THE TEAC! H!
ERS MY SON IS DIFFERENT. NO ONE WILL LISTEN. I WANT MY SON TO HAVE A
FUTURE TOO, I DONT WANT HIM TO NOT CARE WHEN HES OLDER BECAUSE NO ONE
CARES NOW. WHAT KIND OF LAW IS THIS WHEN MY CHILD IS SUFFERING? I ASK
MYSELF HOW MANY MORE KIDS ARE OUT THERE GOING THRU THIS AND PARENTS DONT
SPEAK OUT. I HONESTLY NEED HELP FOR MY SON, PLEASE, TELL ME WHAT I NEED TO
DO...'"
04/27/2009:
"I HAVE READ 'THE NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND LAW,' TO BE HONEST WHEN I FIRST
HEARD ABOUT IT I KNEW IT WAS GOING TO BE GREAT AND KIDS WOULD HAVE A
CHANCE TO HAVE A BETTER FUTURE, BUT NOW THAT I HAVE A SON WHO HAS TROUBLE
LEARNING AND I SEE THAT THE SCHOOL IS DOING NOTHING FOR THE PAST 2 YEARS,
I ASK MYSELF, WHAT IS THE PURPOSE F THIS CHILD NO LEFT BEHIND ACT? MY SON
IS 7 AND FOR A LONG TIME I HAVE KNOWN HE NEEDS HELP LEARNING AND
UNDERSTANDING THE MATERIAL TAUGHT IN SCHOOL. BUT THE TEACHERS ARE NOT
LISTENING AND THEY FEEL MY SON BEING RETAINED WILL HELP. NO ONE KNOWS A
CHILD LIKE THE PARENTS DO, MY SON WONT DO HIS HOMEWORK BECAUSE HE DOESNT
UNDERSTAND IT, HIS SISTERS AND I TRY TO EXPLAIN AND HE GETS FRUSTRATED,
WHEN I TELL HIS TEACHER THIS SHE DECIDED TO GIVE HIM EASIER HOMEWORK SO
THAT SHE DOESNT HAVE TO SPEND ANYTIME WITH HIM BECAUSE SHE HAS OTHER
STUDENTS. I DONT THINK THIS IS RIGHT BECAUSE NOW MY SON HAS TO REPEAT THE
FIRST GRADE, SINCE KINDERGARTEN IVE BEEN TELLING THE TEAC!
HERS MY SON IS DIFFERENT. NO ONE WILL LISTEN. I WANT MY SON TO HAVE A
FUTURE TOO, I DONT WANT HIM TO NOT CARE WHEN HES OLDER BECAUSE NO ONE
CARES NOW. WHAT KIND OF LAW IS THIS WHEN MY CHILD IS SUFFERING? I ASK
MYSELF HOW MANY MORE KIDS ARE OUT THERE GOING THRU THIS AND PARENTS DONT
SPEAK OUT. I HONESTLY NEED HELP FOR MY SON, PLEASE, TELL ME WHAT I NEED
TO DO..."
04/20/2009:
"No Child Left Behind may help the stragglers of the groups, but it's
holding the leaders back. They start focusing on the slowest people, and
they may benefit, but the rest of us students suffer. Many of the people
who are affected by NCLB don't want to learn, and the teachers focus on
teaching them instead of teaching those of us who actually want and enjoy
learning.
I have also noticed that the teachers at my school have been under so much
pressure of not letting a few specific kids fall through the cracks, that
they don't worry about everyone learning what they're supposed to. I was
talking to the EY (Excellence in Youth, or GT to some) coordinator and she
said that even though everyone has different learning styles, it's the
teachers job to find the one that suits each student the best. Of course,
this does mean the students need to communicate effectively how they need
help, but most students don't realize this and just keep going. The
teacher never even asks. They're to busy giving specific instructions to
Johnny in the corner while you sit here struggling to follow what the heck
she's even saying.
I may have rambled or basically reiterated myself several times, and I'm
sorry for that, but I'm sick and tired of hearing, 'We just don't care
about EY kids.'"
04/2/2009:
"I have personally been involved with the 'No child left behind' program
with my step daughter. I (and many of my friends that are teachers call it
the 'Get them out of here program'. The program will keep lowering the
standards until your child can meet them. They do things like go over a
work sheet in class having the kids fill in the answers as the teachers
give them, and then give them the exact same sheet as a test to take home
to take and bring back the next day. Of course these kids are smart enough
to just copy from one sheet to the other. I was actually told that even
though she didn't do her homework that as long as she came to class
prepared (with pencil and paper) that they had to give her an A for the
day for trying. It is supposed to be positive reinforcement. She is now 21
years old. She can't hold a job because she can't understand why she has
to do what she was hired for instead of just getting a reward for showing
up. I tried to voice my concern to the schoo!
l but was told that they have to pass the kids or there parents threaten
to sue them. I don't understand it. How about the school starts suing the
parents when there kids aren't passing. If you think about it.....If they
do all there homework and listen in class and still fail all the test they
will still get at least a passing grade. Not a good one but at least
passing. Maybe if you start holding the parents responsible for there kids
not doing there homework or behaving and listening in class then maybe you
won't need to have a 'No child left behind' program. Maybe you could have
a 'Take responsibility for what your child becomes' program."
04/2/2009:
"in reading this article i feel that the school my son attended did not
follow the rule where they did not report the teacher stress levels
because on a daily basis i would hear teachers yelling at the students and
to my understanding once you yell at a kid they kind of tune you out so
therefore nothing is being accomplished because it was everyday and also
they were more focused on celebrating holidays with parties and such to
academics for example i do not celebrate oct31 so i was told to keep my
son home because they were going to have the party and even though it was
one day imagine just one student from each district missing school because
a party for a day that has no academic or historical significance was
going to be held. a waste of time and money so that is just a couple of
incidents where i see that does hurt all the way around. i was not
surprised when i found out that this school is one of those schools that
is failing."
04/2/2009:
"What I don't understand is why students aren't grouped according to how
much they know. My daughter is in first grade and is very intelligent with
a higher reading and math level. She is stuck in class with some students
who are way behind and one student who is still learning English. There
are also a few who have behavior problems. These kids hold up the whole
class. Her teacher can't progress since half of the students take longer
to understand what is being taught. It makes school very boring for half
of the class. When I was in school we were put into class according to how
we interpreted information and how advanced we are. I feel this way leaves
alot of children behind and it isn't fair to any of the students. I can
understand how you wouldn't want an underperforming child's self esteem to
be hurt by being placed in a lesser class, however isn't their self esteem
hurt worse when they are in class with others who are more advanced and
understand things much quicker tha!
n they do.
Another problem is lack of parental involvement. The students in class
actually had to sign an agreement to do their homework every day since
only a handful of students in class do. These kids are 6. I feel it's a
parent's responsibility to ensure their kids are doing their work. My
daughter's homework is always completed, even when she is absent and we
also find time to teach her at home. When we cook we explain fractions.
When we are out we read signs. I explain news events to her and point out
landmarks. We discuss different people and the places they come from. We
challenge her to add and subtract larger numbers and talk about how plants
grow when spring arrives. Parents need to get off their cell phones and
engage their children more. Play a game with your kids, teach them about
money at the grocery store, point out fractions on a pizza pie or shapes
on signs. We need to guide our children's thought processes and not rely
on school to teach them everything. This has to !
be the laziest generation of parents ever and it's hurting our children
and their future. "
04/2/2009:
"my 8th grader came home from school last week and said that she has
teachers who still put desks in a circle and have kids read out loud. And
it takes some kids a very long time to read a simple paragraph. If their
is a word they can not pronounce they are told to'sound it out'. This is
elementary school teaching...not the year before high school. In the
meantime all the rest of the students are forced to waste their time just
sitting and waiting on students that never should have been 'shoved
through' the school system. The 'no child' act is a complete farce. "
04/2/2009:
"I understand that the we need to help Left Behind kid, but just putting
them to the better district school is not enough. Home education is very
important, did their parents follow up with their homework, did their
parents care? My two girls are gifted and we are in the best school
district. I see there are a lot of Left Behind kid transferred to our
school, using a lot of our tax money. My kids and those are purposed at
this school district that did not get the benefit of it. Poway does not
have that program, therefore, they have the better education score."
04/2/2009:
"NCLB certainly had a huge impact on my family. My daughter was threatened
by a young juvenile delinquent with a rap sheet several pages long... for
supposedly suggesting that a friend 'break-up' with him when they were
only 11 years old. The boy actually brought a knife to school and
admitted that he intended to stab my daughter and 3 of her friends with
it. The school could not expel him, or even suspend him for long because
he was 'diagnosed' with 'conduct disorder'. The school did not have the
resources to prevent him and his friends from approaching and harassing my
daughter. Eventually I had to involve my lawyer and have my daughter
transferred to another school. Now we have to drive a considerable
distance to drop her off and pick her up every school day. What if we were
unable to provide her that transportation (not that it hasnt impacted our
family financially, because it has.) Is this fair and/or reasonable?
Children who are dangerous require more specialized attention and
resources than are available even in the best, 'blue ribbon' public
schools. They should not be allowed to compromise the safety of the rest
of the student population."
04/2/2009:
"I do not like it. If the child is not ready why push them so other
countries can see how stupid our country is?
Maybe the schools should have a special ed class where the child is taken
out of the class for help instead of in the back of a class while a
teacher is teaching one thing and the other is teachign something else.
let the child stay back and re learn what ever it is"
04/2/2009:
"No child left behind means that our children along with many others have
to wait for the slow learners to catch up.
Therefore, we are dragging our school systems down instead of building
them up.
No child left behind sounds good if you are running for office, if you are
paying the bills at the Schools as taxpayers, it has it faults."
04/2/2009:
"The NCLB law was legislated as a political ploy by both political parties
in the U.S. This law is the biggest blunder to the public school system in
this country and will eventually bankrupt the entire system, as local
school boards get into the lives' and homes of its' students and their
families. Do the math. It is not difficult to understand why this law does
not work and why it is detrimental to students nationwide. Standards have
been lowered to keep African-Americans in the same ballpark as whites, not
to mention Hispanics and their lack of academic skills. Here is a fact:
African-American students, generally speaking, do not do homework, do not
ask for extra help, do not stay after school seeking help from their
teachers and overall have a disdain for school and related activities. It
is also true, generally speaking, that African-Americans do not have a
home support system. However, this is where many believe it is the Public
School System's responsibility and duty t!
o fix all the social ills that plague our society. We have numerous
specialists in our school system, beginning with academic teachers, speech
pathologists, psychologists, psychiatrists, occupational therapists,
special ed teachers, teachers assistants, massage therapists for one child
who has cerebral palsy and is wheelchair bound and physical ed specialists
to integrate this one child into mainstream physical activities, requested
by his family and met by the school board without question or cost to the
taxpayers. You may believe the NCLB legislation is a blueprint for the
future of education in the United States but all it has accomplished, thus
far, is to lower standards, expectations, given a false sense of security
and achievement to students, who cannot write a complete sentence,
subtract two digit numbers, jog around a gymnasium for 2-3 minutes, accept
responsibility for their actions, take criticism from their teachers,
constructive or otherwise and are generally v!
ery disrespectful to teachers and adults alike. I believe the !
NCLB law must be rethought and rewritten. It does not work.
Many thanks,
Craig Michaels
"
02/25/2009:
"What about the children who fall through the crack's because of test
scores fall in the grey area?
My son was evaluated by a psychologist, his test scores were in the middle
(grey area)!
This means some of his scores were a couple of points over the low end,
and some of the scores were just barely to the high end. Therefore he does
not qualify for special education classes, the teacher's are continuing
different intervention's to help him, but now he is in 7th grade, has 1 or
2 kids he talks to, he is unable to speak in front of the class for
speaches. Sure they have a 504 plan in progress which is helping to some
degree, but how is he ever going to over come participating with his
peers? He has been diagnosed with Inattentive ADD, Depression, Non Verbal
Disorder.
I have been told by his Principal and Counselor that because of his test
score's falling into the 'GRAY' area, my son is not eligble for Special
Education Services! I'm hoping that when you read this you will be able to
direct me into the right direction to get my son the proper help he needs
to excell. Thank You Tammy"
02/5/2009:
"they want each kid in the US to be on the same page when it comes to
education
but when everyone has diffrent learning styles...how does that work? so
teachers need to FOCUS ON THE KIDS WHO DON'T GET IT SO THERE NOT LEFT
BEHIND...so you ask what happends to the kids that do? Have them HELP THE
OTHER KIDS THAT DON'T GET IT.
teachers have to rush through stuff to get what is required done and if
your spending a week on a chapter and then having to take a test over
it....your not going to really learn it as well as if you took like 2
weeks right
so the kids that need more time are getting rushed through it and if they
dont get it to bad they have to move on to meet dead lines
so really thoese kids are getting left behind which is not helping the no
child left behind law
ill use myself as an example, im not the type of person who picks up on
stuff quickly. i have to have more time on something before i learn it and
understand it. so when i get rushed through something im not learning
anything and then my grades suffer cause idk what is going on - even if i
go in for help on past chapters. so when the semester test comes i dont'
do really well. therefore the teachers are not doing what they can to help
us kids learn it so that we can get better scores also and in tearms
'leaving me begind'. Teachers should be focused on helping us kids get it
so that we know what were doing because the ones who dont understand it
arel eft behind to suffer while everyone moves on. but of coures the
goverment doesn't focus on those kids- they focues on the ones who are
doing better- but really thoese kids probley just picked up on it faster
"
