No Child Left Behind

[ironmonk]

These things take time... more than 3 years... the system has been going downhill for many years, and when someone realizes it, it's now taking time to improve it.



[b]Issue Brief:[/b]
Bipartisan Education Reform

“Under the No Child Left Behind Act, every student in this country will be held to high standards, and every school will be held accountable for results. Teachers will get the training they need to help their students achieve. Parents will get the information and choices they need to make sure their children are learning. And together we will bring the promise of a quality education to every child in America.”


-President George W. Bush, June 10, 2003


Bipartisan Education Reform - President Bush submitted his framework for education reform, No Child Left Behind (NCLB), three days after taking office and secured overwhelming bipartisan support less than a year later. NCLB represents the most significant overhaul of Federal education policy since 1965, when the Elementary and Secondary Education Act was passed. NCLB creates strong standards in each state for what every child should know and learn in reading and math in grades 3-8 and holds schools accountable for closing the achievement gap between students of different socio-economic backgrounds.

High Standards and Accountability - Since President Bush signed NCLB into law, all states have developed a plan to ensure that every student becomes proficient at reading and math and that achievement gaps are closed between students of different socio-economic backgrounds. States, districts, and schools are using their unique accountability plans to measure the progress of student achievement, report student and school progress to parents, identify for improvement those schools not making adequate yearly progress, provide support for the improvement of schools and districts, and provide options – including public school choice and tutoring – for children in underperforming schools.

Historic Levels of Funding - President Bush's overall Fiscal Year (FY) 2005 budget represents a 49% increase for elementary and secondary education since FY 2001. It includes an additional:

$1 billion in Title I funding for disadvantaged students, for a total that represents a 52% increase since FY 2001.
$139 million for reading programs totaling four times the amount spent in FY 2001.
$1 billion for special education programs, for a 75% increase since FY 2001.
Reading First and Early Reading First - President Bush proposed and signed into law the Reading First and Early Reading First initiatives as part of his unequivocal commitment to ensuring that every child can read by the third grade. These programs enable more children to receive scientifically-based reading instruction programs in the early grades. Over $1.8 billion in Reading First funds have been distributed to the 50 states and the District of Columbia to provide training and instructional materials to tens of thousands of teachers. In addition, since the passage of NCLB, states have received almost $200 million in funds for early childhood reading efforts through such initiatives as Early Reading First and the Early Childhood Educator Professional Development program.

Options Available for Parents - Using tutoring money provided under NCLB, low-income parents of children in schools that have been identified as needing improvement can select from the over 1,600 supplemental service providers approved by the states. With this option, parents, for the first time, can find a program that is focused, rigorous, and directed at the specific needs of their child. Under NCLB, states and school districts publish report cards showing how well students in each socio-economic sub-group are achieving so that communities and parents can know how well their schools are doing.

Providing Parents with School Choice - President Bush worked with Congress to include a school choice program in the FY 2004 Omnibus Appropriations bill for approximately 1,700 low-income children in the District of Columbia to attend the school of their choice. The President has also requested funding in his budgets for a Choice Incentive Fund, which would support efforts to provide parents, particularly low-income parents, of students who attend low-performing schools with opportunities to transfer their children to higher-performing public, charter, or private schools.

Jobs for the 21st Century - In his 2004 State of the Union Address, President Bush announced Jobs for the 21st Century – a comprehensive plan to better prepare workers for jobs in the new millennium by strengthening post-secondary education and job training and improving high school education. This plan includes $583 million in new funding for education and job training programs.
Strengthening Access to Post-Secondary Education and Job Training: The President’s plan will expand opportunities for workers to access post-secondary education to get the job training and skills to compete in a changing and dynamic economy and fill jobs in emerging industries – including $250 million to fund partnerships between community colleges and employers in industries that are creating the most new jobs, and $33 million for expanded Pell Grants for low-income students who complete rigorous coursework in high school.
Improving High School Education: The President’s plan will also improve the quality of education at our Nation’s high schools and better prepare students for success in higher education and the job market – including $100 million to help striving readers, $120 million to improve math education, $40 million to bring professionals with subject-matter knowledge into the classroom, an additional $28 million for Advanced Placement teacher training, and $12 million to expand the State Scholars program to all 50 states to encourage high school students to take a rigorous curriculum.
Strengthening and Modernizing Support for Vocational Education - The major federal program for vocational education, the Perkins Vocational Education program, has gone through numerous changes without significant improvements in student achievement since its founding in 1917. President Bush proposes to greatly improve this program to better serve the needs of the 21st century worker. The President’s proposal redirects $1 billion in annual funding from the Perkins Vocational Education program into a new Secondary and Technical Education program (Sec Tech) that would provide traditional vocational education with a stronger focus on academic achievement. The President’s proposal requires high schools participating in the program to offer 4 years of English, 3 years of math and science, and 3½ years of social studies as part of their vocational education curriculum.

Presidential Math and Science Scholars Fund - To ensure that America remains the world leader in the innovation economy – and to ensure that America’s graduates have the training they need to compete for the best jobs of the 21st century – President Bush wants to expand opportunities for math and science education in colleges and universities. The President proposes establishing a new public-private partnership to provide $100 million in grants ($50 million in federal funding to be matched with $50 million in private funding) to low-income students who study math or science. Under this plan, approximately 20,000 low-income students would receive up to $5,000 each to study math or science.

Assessing Whether High Schools Are Producing Educated Graduates - To ensure that students graduating from high school have the skills they need to succeed in post-secondary education or in the job market, the President has proposed to include 12th graders in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Currently, states are required to participate in the NAEP in 4th and 8th grades, in reading and math, every two years. Extending this requirement to 12th grade will enable educators to assess whether high schools are meeting the needs of students so that students have the skills they will need to succeed. It will also help to identify areas where they are not meeting the needs of students and to strengthen curricula to ensure improvement.

Pell Grants - The President’s FY 2005 budget increases funding for the Pell Grant program, which provides grants to needy undergraduate students, by $4.1 billion, or 47%, since FY 2001, from $8.8 billion to $12.9 billion. In addition, the number of Pell Grant recipients has risen by approximately one million since FY 2001, while the maximum grant has increased from $3,750 in FY 2001 to $4,050 in FY 2005.


[b]Myths vs. Facts[/b]


Myth: President Bush walked away from his commitment to fund public education, shortchanging public schools by $6 billion.
Fact: President Bush is investing more resources in America’s students than at any time in history. President Bush has provided more funding for K-12 education than any other Administration.

The President’s 2005 budget would increase:
Elementary and secondary education funding by 49% since 2001, from $24.8 billion to $37 billion
Overall Department of Education funding by 36%, from $42.2 billion to $57.3 billion
Title I funding for disadvantaged students by 52% (a $4.6 billion increase)
Special education funding by 75% (a $4.7 billion increase)
Funding for teacher recruiting and retaining highly qualified teachers by 39%, from $2.1 billion to almost $3 billion
Funding for reading programs by four times, from $286 million to $1.26 billion
Two independent studies (the first by the Education Leaders Council and the second by James Peyser, Chairman of the Massachusetts Board of Education, and Robert Costrell, chief economist in the Massachusetts Executive Office for Administration and Finance) have also concluded that NCLB provides enough funding to cover the costs of implementation. President Bush realizes what all good parents know – that spending alone does not improve education. Parents and students deserve accountability to ensure funds are delivering real results for children.

Myth: No Child Left Behind “punishes” schools if they fail to make adequate yearly progress.
Fact: NCLB provides options for children who attend low-performing schools to choose another public school or to take advantage of tutoring. These options don’t “punish” schools, they help children.

It is unfair to require a student to stay in a low-performing or unsafe school. When a school is designated as needing improvement, it means that there are children who need additional help and resources. NCLB ensures that student needs are diagnosed and help is administered so that students have the knowledge and skills they need to succeed.

Schools in need of improvement are eligible for additional funding and technical assistance from the state. NCLB provides more than $500 million under the Title I program in 2004 for states to spend on schools in need of improvement for new curricula, teacher training, etc.

Myth: No Child Left Behind fails to improve student achievement in public schools. Fact: Schools around the country are already showing improvement under NCLB.

According to a study released in March by the Council of Great City Schools, the achievement gap in both reading and math in urban schools between African Americans and whites, and Hispanics and whites, is narrowing. The report shows that all children can indeed learn if given the chance. In an April 2004 Chicago Sun-Times analysis, Chicago public school children who transferred from schools in need of improvement to higher-performing schools under NCLB showed substantial improvements in reading and math scores. These transfer students averaged an 8 percent greater learning gain in reading and math than the national average – compared to their original school where the previous year their gains were 24 percent lower in reading and 17 percent lower in math than the national average. That is a huge turnaround.


[b]Frequently Asked Questions[/b]

Some say that testing causes teachers to teach to the test. Is that true?

State assessments are expected to measure how well students meet the state's academic standards, which define what students should know and be able to achieve in different subject areas at different grade levels. If a test measures basic knowledge in reading and math, then teaching to the test means teaching the basics of reading and math. If teachers cover subject matter required by the standards and teach it well, then students will master the material on which they will be tested – and probably much more. In that case, students will need no special test preparation in order to do well. And test results help teachers determine which students are learning and which students need more help.

Isn’t No Child Left Behind just a backdoor way to propose vouchers?

No Child Left Behind is about improving our public schools. Under NCLB, states are given the ability to design an accountability system for its schools that takes into account each state’s unique circumstances. In order for a school to be designated as in need of improvement, a school must fail to make adequate yearly progress for two consecutive years before it must offer public school choice to parents. When schools are identified as in need of improvement, states have additional funding and technical assistance to offer to these schools. President Bush wants to see every public school in America succeed, and has provided unprecedented funding for public elementary and secondary schools since coming into office.

Isn’t it unfair to measure the performance of schools based on different subgroups?

The underlying premise of NCLB is to make sure that no child, of any background, is left behind. It is not enough to know the average student performance of a school. We need to be sure that schools are serving all students, including minority and disadvantaged students. Nationally, on the National Assessment of Educational Progress reading test, black and Hispanic fourth-graders score at least 26 points lower than white students in the same grade. We must not ignore this gap, and NCLB gives educators the tools to know which students are learning and which students need more help; this is the only way to ensure that all kids are learning.

President Bush proposes Enhanced Pell Grants for students who take a rigorous high school curriculum. Why isn’t this funding used to raise the maximum Pell Grant?

The President’s Budgets have raised the maximum Pell Grant from $3,750 to $4,050. Additionally, research shows that many high school students are not graduating with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in college. Providing Enhanced Pell Grants is a way to encourage low-income high school students to take a more rigorous curriculum so that they are prepared for college coursework. Students who enter college academically prepared are more likely to graduate and to graduate on time.


[b]Kerry is Wrong for Education[/b]

Kerry Flip-Flopped on No Child Left Behind: Kerry voted in favor of NCLB and called it “groundbreaking” legislation that “focuses on increasing student achievement and provides increased resources and flexibility in exchange for increased accountability." But on the campaign trail, Kerry attacks the same legislation he voted for.

According To CQ Weekly, Kerry Has "Thin Record" On Education. "[O]n education and health care, two of the most important domestic battlegrounds between Democrats and Republicans, Kerry has a thin record." (David Nather, "Kerry’s Complex Record And His Pursuit Of The Presidency," CQ Weekly, 4/24/03)

Kerry Has Been “Absent” From Education Debates: The Senate didn’t debate a single Kerry amendment during the No Child Left Behind negotiations in 2001. In 2003, Kerry missed 292 votes (64%), including at least 24 important education votes. Ironically, three of these missed votes were on amendments that would have funded proposals he claims to support as part of his presidential campaign.

Kerry Wants to Weaken NCLB’s Call For High Standards: Kerry weakens accountability by focusing on performance indicators such as teacher attendance instead of student achievement.

Kerry’s Proposals Weaken Teacher Standards: About 70% of middle-grade math classes in high-poverty and high-minority schools are assigned to a teacher who lacks even a college minor in math or a math-related field. Kerry makes this worse by allowing hundreds of thousands of high school graduates, without any training, to serve as teachers and teacher aides.

Kerry Believes Offering Children Tutoring and the Option to Attend Another School is “Punishment:” Kerry says tests should not be used to “punish” our schools by allowing students to transfer to another public school or take tutoring. Providing a child with options and more one-on-one assistance is not punishment – it is a lifeline for students who need extra help.

Voicemail for Teachers Is Not Serious Education Reform: Kerry wants the Federal government to pay for every teacher to have voicemail. Our nation faces serious education challenges that have significant implications for our society and economy. These serious challenges need serious reforms, not answering machines.

Kerry Will Often Propose “Controversial Ideas” But “Almost Never Follows Up.” “In 1998, John Kerry took on the teachers’ unions. … If you look back over the span of John Kerry’s career, you find that every few months or years he takes a hard look at some thorny public issue. … The problem is that he almost never follows up. When [Kerry] makes these speeches he habitually asserts that he will mount a long public crusade. But then he takes his controversial ideas, jams them into a jar and buries them in the backyard.” (David Brooks, Op-Ed, “Kerry's Good Intentions,” The New York Times, 1/24/04)



[url="http://www.georgebush.com/Education/Brief.aspx"]http://www.georgebush.com/Education/Brief.aspx[/url]

Edited July 8, 2004 by ironmonk

[Iacobus]

Go down the street. Talk to the teachers. Most of them here LOVED Bush. Than they got the NCLB stuff. And were scared. All of them are good teachers. My district has above arvage test scores. Most of them loved Bush. Today... most of them are sooo mad about NCLB and being called a terrorist cell by Rod Paige Bush is a swear word.

I shall get some numbers for you tomorrow morning or latter tonite.

[Iacobus]

BTW, IronMonk, you aren't going to get stright talk on Bush RE ELECTION site. LOL!

[Good Friday]

[quote name='ironmonk']Kerry Flip-Flopped on No Child Left Behind: Kerry voted in favor of NCLB and called it “groundbreaking” legislation that “focuses on increasing student achievement and provides increased resources and flexibility in exchange for increased accountability." But on the campaign trail, Kerry attacks the same legislation he voted for.[/quote]
That's actually not true. Sen. Kerry still supports most of No Child Left Behind, but he is concerned (as am I) that President Bush has underfunded many aspects of No Child Left Behind. He's also concerned that President Bush has underfunded the vast majority of social programs in order to crank increasing amounts of money into the war in Iraq.

What President Bush did was get No Child Left Behind passed, then proceeded to only give sufficient funds to the parts he liked the best. Because many parts of the bill are underfunded, it isn't working. Bush needs to fund the entire bill and put less money into the military, which he is only funding so well so that he can build his beloved empire, which begins in the Middle East and ends... well, we don't really know where, do we? Vatican City, perhaps, when the evangelical fundamentalists who influence him so much tell him that Catholics are evil?

[ironmonk]

[quote name='Iacobus' date='Jul 8 2004, 01:00 AM'] BTW, IronMonk, you aren't going to get stright talk on Bush RE ELECTION site. LOL! [/quote]
This was his plan. That's all it is.

Bush does give straight talk. Liberal democrats do not. The beginning of this thread is to show what the plan is. Things take time to work.

Many schools need a major overhaul.

I really don't care what teachers down your street have to say. Anyone's opinion that supports kerry is worthless. Putting money above the lives of innocent babies is inexcusable and shows a major lack of common sense, morals, etc...

To keep children from being left behind starts at home. NOT at the government level... but the schools do need an overhaul.

Rod Paige DID NOT call teachers terrorists. The statement was in reference to the National Education Association and called it "terrorist organization" because of the Washington lobbyists. He then issued a statement, saying that the statement he made during a conversation with governors, "was an inappropriate choice of words" but reiterated his criticism of the NEA and its Washington lobbyists. He argued that the NEA (the country's largest teachers union) [u]often acts at odds with the wishes of rank-and-file teachers regarding school standards and accountability.[/u]

[quote]In his written release, Secretary Paige said:

"It was an inappropriate choice of words to describe the obstructionist scare tactics the NEA's Washington lobbyists have employed against No Child Left Behind's historic education reforms.

"I also said, as I have repeatedly, that our nation's teachers, who have dedicated their lives to service in the classroom, are the real soldiers of democracy, whereas the NEA's high-priced Washington lobbyists have made no secret that they will fight against bringing real, rock-solid improvements in the way we educate all our children regardless of skin color, accent or where they live.

"But, as one who grew up on the receiving end of insensitive remarks, I should have chosen my words better."
[url="http://www.cnn.com/2004/EDUCATION/02/23/paige.terrorist.nea/"]http://www.cnn.com/2004/EDUCATION/02/23/paige.terrorist.nea/[/url][/quote]



That is a FAR CRY from calling teachers 'terrorists'. Maybe you should get those teachers done the street the truth. With the NEA (and democrat senators) fighting against improvments in the Schools, they HAVE NO RIGHT to blame Bush. Typical democrat twist and spin tactics... just like Jack Chick does to the Church.

Democrat liberal twists of the truth again. That is one thing I can't stand about unions, when it comes to politics, the memebers tend to be zombies to the truth. Want to see corruption, look at the heads of unions.

[quote]
The NEA is headquartered in Washington where every year the organization spends about $1 million lobbying, according to The Associated Press.

The NEA and its political action committee donated $3.1 million to federal candidates and the two political parties in the last presidential election cycle, the AP reported. About 90 percent of those donations went to Democrats
[/quote]

NEA - A baby killing supporting organization.

When are you going to learn?

-ironmonk

[Iacobus]

BTW all teachers in the state of IL are members of the NEA. Therefore he called them by proxy terrorists.

[quote]I really don't care what teachers down your street have to say. Anyone's opinion that supports kerry is worthless. Putting money above the lives of innocent babies is inexcusable and shows a major lack of common sense, morals, etc...[/quote]

Who ever said they supported Kerry? There goes the plumbing.

It is not just on "my street" that you will hear this. Rockford, Chicago, Springfeild, Byron, Stillman, everywhere.

USA Today (Jul 6, 04) headline was "No Child Left Behind has teachers singing protest songs."

"It shows how much opposition to No Child Left Behind has permeated the popular culture, at least with educators," says Bob Schaeffer of the Center for Fair & Open Testing, which has criticized Bush's education policies.

"The standard is perfection," says Eskelsen, the NEA's secretary-treasurer. Though that's a laudable goal, she says, with existing resources, it's nearly impossible.


Like I said I will bring in the numbers tomorrow or later tonite when I dig up the paper... if I recall it was like 16.3% of American children were harmed by the act.

[ironmonk]

[quote name='Iacobus' date='Jul 8 2004, 01:42 AM'] BTW all teachers in the state of IL are members of the NEA. Therefore he called them by proxy terrorists.



Who ever said they supported Kerry? There goes the plumbing.

It is not just on "my street" that you will hear this. Rockford, Chicago, Springfeild, Byron, Stillman, everywhere.

USA Today (Jul 6, 04) headline was "No Child Left Behind has teachers singing protest songs."

"It shows how much opposition to No Child Left Behind has permeated the popular culture, at least with educators," says Bob Schaeffer of the Center for Fair & Open Testing, which has criticized Bush's education policies.

"The standard is perfection," says Eskelsen, the NEA's secretary-treasurer. Though that's a laudable goal, she says, with existing resources, it's nearly impossible.


Like I said I will bring in the numbers tomorrow or later tonite when I dig up the paper... if I recall it was like 16.3% of American children were harmed by the act. [/quote]
THE STATEMENT WAS NOT ABOUT MEMBERS! DA.

REREAD IT.

I just love the way democrat liberals twist everything. Do you all read to fast?

The ACT HAS BEEN LIMITED DUE TO NEA AND DEMOCRATIC SENATORS.

You would learn a lot if you knew how to research.

[url="http://www.senate.gov/reference/common/generic/Votes.htm"]http://www.senate.gov/reference/common/generic/Votes.htm[/url]
[url="http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/legislative/g_three_sections_with_teasers/legislative_home.htm"]http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/legislati...lative_home.htm[/url]
[url="http://capwiz.com/c-span/dbq/issuesdbq/votesearch.dbq"]http://capwiz.com/c-span/dbq/issuesdbq/votesearch.dbq[/url]

[url="http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/vote_menu_107_1.htm"]http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll..._menu_107_1.htm[/url]

Edited July 8, 2004 by ironmonk

[Sammy Blaze]

[quote name='ironmonk' date='Jul 7 2004, 11:31 PM']
Bush does give straight talk. Liberal democrats do not.

[/quote]
Ironmonk,

You are no doubt well researched and empowered about your stance, I salute you for that.

But it's statements like the above that kinda worry me.

The Bush administration is not infallible.
I'm not criticizing you for being a die-hard Republican, just warning you not to be so passionate that you become biased and overlook the "truth" in the political system.

Pax,
~S.

[ironmonk]

[quote name='Sammy Blaze' date='Jul 9 2004, 12:50 AM'] Ironmonk,

You are no doubt well researched and empowered about your stance, I salute you for that.

But it's statements like the above that kinda worry me.

The Bush administration is not infallible.
I'm not criticizing you for being a die-hard Republican, just warning you not to be so passionate that you become biased and overlook the "truth" in the political system.

Pax,
~S. [/quote]
I didn't say that they were wrong on things.

I was saying that Bush does not lie. He's not perfect, but he is the best choice according to what the Church teaches that our priorities are.

For the most part, he seems to have tried to appoint people with integrity.

When he leaves the Whitehouse, I doubt whoever will be the next president will have to worry about keys missing on the keyboards, porn mixed in with the copy paper, etc...

"Straight talk" I believe to be what the talker believes to be true.

Bush talks the talk and walks the walk. I have yet to see him lie. I have seen him make a few mistakes, but he is not perfect. Mistakes are not lies.

God Bless,
ironmonk

[PedroX]

I don't know a single teacher or administrator in the public school system that thinks No Child Left Behind is successful. I am not aware of a single state that is not scrambling to come up with the funds neccessary to implement it, since the administration left many unfunded mandates. The act doesn't work, plain and simple.

Good Friday, good to see you back!

peace...

[Azriel]

[quote name='PedroX' date='Jul 9 2004, 07:33 AM'] I don't know a single teacher or administrator in the public school system that thinks No Child Left Behind is successful. I am not aware of a single state that is not scrambling to come up with the funds neccessary to implement it, since the administration left many unfunded mandates. The act doesn't work, plain and simple.

Good Friday, good to see you back!

peace... [/quote]
Mad love to you bro.

[ironmonk]

[quote name='PedroX' date='Jul 9 2004, 09:33 AM'] I don't know a single teacher or administrator in the public school system that thinks No Child Left Behind is successful.  I am not aware of a single state that is not scrambling to come up with the funds neccessary to implement it, since the administration left many unfunded mandates.  The act doesn't work, plain and simple.

Good Friday, good to see you back!

peace... [/quote]
It takes time for a plan of that size to be successful. DA

If the NEA and the like knew what they were doing, there wouldn't have to be a plan for the schools at all. Schools need to be taken care of at the local level.

For ANY plan to work, parents need to be involved... THERE IS NO WAY that the government can keep kids from being left behind when their parents don't care.


The government is not the answer... teachers need to be calling parents and talking to them.

Something needs to be done about making parents accountable for their kids not doing the work if people want to keep kids from falling behind.

Kids that have parents that don't care will always have their kids fall behind. The government cannot fix it unless the parents are held accountable for their kids progress.

Something like a tax cut to parents with kids with good grades would help motivate people to help their children. Maybe on a local level... maybe state.

Throwing money at teachers that don't get the parents involved will not fix the situation.

The way some think on this board just boggles my mind... the public school systems are not wise.

The teachers that I've seen talk about it seem to me to be union zombies that are only concerned with themselves and not looking at the big picture.


-ironmonk

Edited July 9, 2004 by ironmonk

[akamarymag]

my main question about all this is , when will the teachers will b talking to parents?( during class? off periouid? After school?)

[Iacobus]

[quote name='akamarymag' date='Jul 9 2004, 09:35 AM'] my main question about all this is , when will the teachers will b talking to parents?( during class? off periouid? After school?) [/quote]
Teachers should be paid a ton more. But no amount of money could ever make a teacher good.

My mum spends hours (unpaid) a few nites a week calling parents or talking to them and sends notes home rather often.

My dad has spent over a year making one of his students who suffered from anexioa eat during class. He has gone to their houses he has talked to parents, etc.

Holding teachers responible, like Bush does in NCLB, isn't going to fix the problem. I would say both of my parents are very commited teachers, and many of their students would agree, but no amount of their sweat and time can make the kids commited to learning. By time kids get to school if the parents aren't involed it won't work, where ever you are. Schools aren't an issue to be solved by throughing a ton of unfunded mandates at them and than holding teachers responbile.

[ironmonk]

[quote name='Iacobus' date='Jul 9 2004, 08:33 PM'] Teachers should be paid a ton more. But no amount of money could ever make a teacher good.

My mum spends hours (unpaid) a few nites a week calling parents or talking to them and sends notes home rather often.

My dad has spent over a year making one of his students who suffered from anexioa eat during class. He has gone to their houses he has talked to parents, etc.

Holding teachers responible, like Bush does in NCLB, isn't going to fix the problem. I would say both of my parents are very commited teachers, and many of their students would agree, but no amount of their sweat and time can make the kids commited to learning. By time kids get to school if the parents aren't involed it won't work, where ever you are. Schools aren't an issue to be solved by throughing a ton of unfunded mandates at them and than holding teachers responbile. [/quote]
That's great that there are teachers that do that like your mom and dad. It's a shame that there aren't more. What's the greater shame is that to many parents do not get involved. It's almost like they expect the schools to raise their kids. No plan will help those kids. Maybe a handful, but parents need to be held accountable... maybe offer incentives to parents to help their kids get good grades... of course this would be an administrative nightmare nationwide, but I think it could be done on the local and maybe even state level.

I think Bush means well, but is barking up the wrong tree. I also think that the democrats mean well but barking up another wrong tree.

I use to teach. I taught the kids that got kicked out of school. I was also studying to be a psychologist at the time. I analyze everything. I totally believe that the reason why so many kids are failing is because of parents. At the National PTA convention, that was the greatest complaint that I heard... that the parents don't get involved. That gave me even stronger convictions to my theory. Teachers can only do so much, and I know that a lot of teachers today don't do enough. There are some good ones... the type that are in PTA's and PTO's, and yours.


God Bless,
ironmonk