Re: Advocate Condemns NCLB

[aburke5054@aol.com]

The fact that children learn differently is the reason that we have 
NCLB in the first place.  The whole idea is to do something terrific 
for kids who are behind.  Seems like an attorney/ex-ice cream company 
executive would catch on to that and give speeches for it, not against 
it.

Art

-----Original Message-----
From: Bob Schaeffer <bobschaeffer@earthlink.net>
To: ARN Main List <arn-l@interversity.org>; arn2-strategy 
<arn2-strategy@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Sun, 5 Aug 2007 11:31 am
Subject: [arn-l] Advocate Condemns NCLB


The speaker described in this news article is the former corporate
executive who wrote the famous "Blueberry" story

   http://www.jamievollmer.com/blueberry_story.html


ADVOCATE CONDEMNS NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND

Evansville (IN) Courier & Press -- August 3, 2007

by John Martin


The federal No Child Left Behind law is "taking us straight to hell."


That was the assessment Jamie Vollmer, a professional public speaker 
and
education advocate, gave local educators attending an annual conference
Thursday at the University of Southern Indiana.


Vollmer, an attorney who also spent several years as an ice cream
company executive in Iowa, urged the audience of several hundred
teachers and principals to work on building more community support for
public schools.


That's important, Vollmer said, because emphasis on standardized tests
have created a "box score mentality" with the public that can reflect
badly on schools.


Vollmer was invited to address the Evansville-Vanderburgh School Corp.
annual summer training conference, hosted by USI.


Vollmer said No Child Left Behind is well-intentioned but based on what
he called a flawed premise that all children can learn at the same 
pace.


He said some children show up at school less prepared to learn than
others, yet teachers are under the gun to teach all of them
government-established standards in a timely manner.


"We have a system designed to leave children behind at a time we can't
do that anymore," Vollmer said.


Once a critic of public education, Vollmer says he left the business
world and become an education advocate once he decided his long-held
assumptions about public schools were wrong.


He said used to believe schools were profoundly flawed, that teachers
were to blame and that public schools could be better if they were run
like a business.


Vollmer, who served a two-year term on the National PTA board of
directors, said certain elements of the private sector can be placed in
schools, but the two entities are hardly equal.


"You have to take whatever parents send you," Vollmer told the 
audience,
"and I'm sure they aren't keeping the good ones at home."


He said teachers can build public support by focusing on positive
aspects of their work and sharing those publicly.


He also encouraged teachers to not bad-mouth one another.


"If you're going to complain, complain to your spouse. That's why we
have them," Vollmer said, drawing laughter.


While praising public education, Vollmer also said he realizes that
schools must adapt to changing times.


Just teaching the three "Rs" isn't enough these days, Vollmer said.


Schools have to switch focus now to teaching what he called the three
"Ts," thinking, technology and teamwork.






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