Discontent with NCLB Grows

[Bob Schaeffer <bobschaeffer@earthlink.net>]

LOCAL DISCONTENT WITH "NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND" GROWS

         Christian Science Monitor -- August 19, 2005
                     by Alexandra Marks

Just as students are heading back to school, frustration with the 
federal No Child Left Behind education law is hitting new heights at the 
grass-roots level from Maine to California.

Three states are already in open rebellion: Connecticut, Utah, and 
Colorado, which have either planned lawsuits or passed laws that trump 
the federal mandates. At least five other states - Maine, Minnesota, 
Nevada, New Jersey, and Virginia - are deemed "hot spots" that could 
join the revolt in the coming school year. And a total of 21 states are 
now considering some kind of legislation critical of No Child Left 
Behind (NCLB), according to a study released this week by the Civil 
Society Institute, a nonpartisan advocacy group in Massachusetts.

It rounded up a report of this dissatisfaction to call attention to what 
it says is a disconnect between the federal government and the 
educators, students, parents, and local lawmakers that live with NCLB 
every day.

The law's supporters counter that it is working, with test scores going 
up. They acknowledge there's frustration, but they contend it has more 
to do with the level of federal intervention in what used to be a 
primarily state and local issue. They also praise the federal Department 
of Education (DOE) for being flexible in dealing with state concerns.

But several independent education experts, as well as state legislators 
from both the Republican and Democratic sides of the aisle, say that 
even with this flexibility, frustration is on the rise.

"There is a palpable increase in the level of dissatisfaction that I 
see, but it's not being translated into legislation in Congress," says 
Jack Jennings, president and CEO of the nonpartisan Center on Education 
Policy in Washington. "There's really a disjuncture here between a 
growing dissatisfaction and the lack of a political response."

       The roots of frustration

The frustration on the local level has to do with what educators call 
the rigidity of the law, which requires high-stakes, standardized 
testing and penalizes schools deemed as failing to make "adequate yearly 
progress." They're also concerned about a lack of funding to pay for the 
testing and the remedial services needed to ensure students make the grade.

For instance, Connecticut estimates it will cost the state $41.6 million 
more to implement NCLB than the federal government is providing. Local 
communities will bear additional costs, too.

The White House and the DOE dispute that. They point to two studies done 
by the Government Accountability Office in New Jersey and Massachusetts 
that found those states had enough federal resources to implement the 
law. They also note that since NCLB was passed, federal education 
spending has increased more than 30 percent.

"It is unfortunate that some appear to think that reform is more trouble 
than it's worth," says DOE spokeswoman Samara Yudof. "No Child Left 
Behind is working: Evidence from both the Nation's Report Card and the 
states' own data prove it."

Although test scores are going up, they were before NCLB was passed, as 
well. That's because of state education reforms and testing protocols 
put into place over the past 25 years. Indeed, there's been no research 
to determine which reforms get credit for the increasing scores. But 
many teachers and local legislators credit the earlier state 
improvements, and they're concerned that NCLB mandates are actually 
undermining their students' long-term success.

They argue that the high-stakes nature of NCLB's test encourages 
"teaching to the test" and actually undermines learning and 
critical-thinking skills. At the same time, they contend, NCLB mandates 
drain resources from key enrichment programs.

"The consequences especially for minority students are more and more 
tragic, and you see it in the data," says Sylvia Bruni, assistant 
superintendent of the Laredo, Texas, Independent School District. "We 
have enormous dropout rates, in my community as many 30 percent of all 
students.... Statewide there's a marked decline in the number of 
students who are prepared for higher education."

Ms. Bruni says that one of the biggest indications of NCLB's failure 
comes from the business community, which has found that students are 
"graduating as poor communicators, really weak critical thinkers, weak 
problem solvers."

But other states and school districts maintain that the law is having 
its intended effect of raising not only test scores, but also students' 
overall preparedness for the global economy.

For example, every single jurisdiction in the state of Maryland improved 
in performance in the past year, according to State Superintendent of 
Schools Nancy Grasmick. She credits NCLB, which she says forces schools 
to be in a "mode of continual improvement, raising the bar."

"In the past, even in some of our best schools, we've hidden behind the 
averages, and there were children who were not making substantial 
progress," she says. "The law ... now requires us to look at every 
subgroup. I actually think that's an extremely positive thing. We're 
never going to overcome an achievement gap ... until we do this."

NCLB's advocates also note the DOE has reached out to states to 
understand their concerns. Of the 40 states that have asked for waivers 
recently, more than 35 have been granted, according to the DOE.

       More dollars

But even strong supporters of the law say that some of the regulations 
"need adjustment" and more funding would be helpful. Superintendent 
Grasmick notes that part of Maryland's success was a result of the state 
legislature approving an additional $1.3 billion in funds to help 
implement the program over five years.

"I know that's not true in a lot of states," she says. "They've actually 
experienced cuts in funding."

Several US representatives and senators are reportedly working on bills 
to amend NCLB in the upcoming legislative session, but few education 
experts believe it will happen before 2007, when the law comes up for 
reauthorization. But as the calls for change increase on the local 
level, that may change.

"I think the dissatisfaction will continue to grow," says Reggie Felton, 
director of federal relations with the National School Boards 
Association in Alexandria, Va. "That will result in a stronger sense of 
urgency in congressional districts, which will then result in members of 
Congress saying, 'We can't wait. We must act now because I'm up for 
reelection."

         http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0819/p03s01-legn.html


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