Nebraska Revolts!

[Sue Allison <sueallison@comcast.net>]

Go Nebraska!!

Here is an unexpected story about  Nebraska.
Claryce

>>
>>This is the news story about the rebellion in Nebraska, although it
>>appeared in the Baltimore Sun.

>>
>>
>>--------------------
>>Bush education policy gets states' rights jolt
>>--------------------
>>
>>Opposition in Nebraska highlights GOP conflict over federal 
intervention
>>
>>By David L. Greene
>>Sun National Staff
>>
>>December 30, 2002
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>NORFOLK, Neb. -- The U.S. Department of Education humiliated tiny
>>Washington Elementary School in northeast Nebraska this year, 
declaring
>>that its students had produced abysmal test scores and that it was a
>>"failing" school.
>>
>>The pronouncement did not exactly spur Nebraska officials to take
>>emergency action. Instead, they decided to challenge the federal
>>government, saying its assessment was plain wrong. What's more, 
they
>>said, the "feds" should back off and let this state evaluate its schools
>>as it sees fit.
>>
>>Nebraska's combative stance, born of a belief in state control of public
>>education, has thrown a wrench into the Bush administration's plans to
>>implement a new education law. That law, approved last year, is widely
>>regarded as one of the president's top domestic achievements.
>>
>>The law imposes tough burdens and requires states to test students 
more
>>than in the past. Schools whose test scores remain low face enormous
>>pressure to improve. This year, the government began identifying 
schools
>>that are failing and that must improve to meet new federal standards.
>>
>>While most states are on the road to complying, the administration is
>>facing stiff resistance from Nebraska and a handful of others. It's a
>>problem that could complicate Bush's desire to campaign on education 
-- a
>>top priority of Americans -- when he seeks re-election.
>>
>>Even as he'll likely boast of higher student achievement, Bush might 
find
>>his administration squabbling with a few states and threatening under 
the
>>new law to withhold federal money if they don't fall in line -- a
>>far-from-rosy story for the campaign trail.
>>
>>The states face two key deadlines -- one at the end of next month, the
>>other in June -- to show they plan to fully comply with the law. If not,
>>they could lose millions of dollars in education funding. Nebraska
>>officials acknowledge that unless the government eases some of its 
rules,
>>they won't be in full compliance.
>>
>>The debate puts Bush in an awkward position: Much opposition comes 
from
>>his own party, which typically opposes federal involvement in education.
>>The stiffest resistance is from Nebraska, a Republican state that 
backed
>>Bush overwhelmingly in the 2000 election, and has a Republican 
governor
>>and a Republican senator, Chuck Hagel, who voted against the 
education
>>law.
>>
>>State officials complain that the president is abandoning the
>>conservative principle that the federal government should not meddle in
>>state-run public education. It was Bush's party that a decade ago 
deemed
>>the federal Department of Education unnecessary and called for its
>>abolishment.
>>
>>"I am surprised, confused and very frustrated with Bush," said Doug
>>Christensen, Nebraska's education commissioner, who says he thinks 
the
>>president is more interested in scoring political points than in helping
>>schools.
>>
>>Unlike in many states, many schools in Nebraska are in remote areas 
and
>>have just a handful of students. Nebraskans, not federal bureaucrats,
>>Christensen argues, understand their schools and know best how to 
assess
>>them.
>>
>>"The Constitution of this country says education is a state matter, that
>>it's our job, and I cannot in good conscience stand up in front of anyone
>>in this state and say we need to do something because the federal
>>government says we do," he said.
>>
>>White House officials, mindful that states cherish their authority over
>>public education, insist that Bush is committed to preserving their
>>prerogatives. But, they say, he is also deeply concerned that many
>>students, especially disadvantaged and minority children, have long 
been
>>trapped in failing schools.
>>
>>"We are for local control," said Margaret Spellings, Bush's top domestic
>>policy adviser. "But we are also for results."
>>
>>She and others in the administration point out that the law does not
>>impose a single national test, and in fact gives states wide latitude to
>>come up with their own tests and standards. The bedrock 
requirements are
>>that states compare performances among schools and track the 
progress of
>>minority and disadvantaged students.
>>
>>The law, known as "No Child Left Behind," passed overwhelmingly in
>>Congress last year. But the president has long faced grumbling from
>>conservatives concerned that Washington is getting too involved in
>>education. Bush often tries to tiptoe around the issue.
>>
>>
>>
>>Getting tough
>>
>>At a campaign event in Shreveport, La., several weeks ago, Bush said 
he
>>supported "making sure we've got local control of our schools in
>>America."
>>
>>But then he added, "Last year, we spent $847 million of federal money 
on
>>Louisiana schools, and that's good. But now we're starting to ask the
>>question: ... Are we getting our money's worth?"
>>
>>Senior Bush administration officials insist that they plan to get tough
>>with states that refuse to comply.
>>
>>"If some people are wondering if we are going to hold states' feet to the
>>fire and enforce this, unlike previous administrations, the answer is
>>yes," said Eugene Hickok, the undersecretary of education.
>>
>>Though Hickok said after speaking with Nebraska officials that he was
>>optimistic about finding a solution, he said that if it's eventually
>>necessary to withhold education money to states, "we probably would."
>>
>>Under the new law, states must test students in reading and math in
>>grades three through eight beginning in 2005. Each state must publish 
the
>>results so the public can easily compare schools.
>>
>>The data must show how disadvantaged students and minority 
students
>>perform compared with others. If a failing school shows too little
>>improvement, parents could use some of the federal money given to 
their
>>school to transfer their child to another school.
>>
>>Although Nebraska officials, as in other states, have given standardized
>>achievement tests, they strenuously oppose using a single exam 
statewide.
>>They have devised their own strategy for ensuring improvement: It lets
>>school systems, with guidance from teachers, come up with ways to 
test
>>knowledge of reading and math. Sometimes it involves a traditional 
test,
>>occasionally an informal discussion with a student.
>>
>>Officials here say the system has advantages. Teachers have greater
>>ownership of the tests because they helped write them. And the tests 
are
>>geared to assess how students have learned from their school's 
curriculum
>>so teachers don't have to do what some critics have called "teaching to
>>the test."
>>
>>Equally important, they say, teachers need not wait weeks or months 
for
>>test results. They can see immediately where students have failed and
>>begin helping them improve.
>>
>>That is crucial in a community like Norfolk, a city of 23,000 in
>>northeast Nebraska, where people frequently move in search of 
temporary
>>low-skill jobs. Because of the transient population, many students 
spend
>>only short times in a school such as Washington Elementary.
>>
>>"We're doing testing every day, but it's testing that has meaning," said
>>Randy Nelson, the superintendent of schools in Norfolk. "I tell my
>>principals, 'You may have a kid for one day, or one week, but make the
>>difference in that kid's life for the whole time you have them.'"
>>
>>Nelson, a Republican, voted for Bush but now complains about his 
stance
>>on this issue.
>>
>>"On one hand, he says he supports local control, and on the other jams
>>something at us from the federal government," Nelson said.
>>
>>
>>
>>'I know my kids'
>>
>>In cities such as Lincoln, the state capital, school administrators
>>oppose the new law and embrace their state's flexible system. More
>>reliable than standardized tests in helping students improve, they say,
>>are the meetings between principals and teachers to discuss the 
progress
>>of each student. That, they say, is also the ideal way to ensure that
>>disadvantaged children are not neglected.
>>
>>"I know all of my kids; I look at every single kid," said DeAnn Currin,
>>principal at Lincoln's Elliott Elementary, which is across the street
>>from a transmission shop and serves a mostly downtrodden 
neighborhood. To
>>prove her point, Currin pulled out a list of students.
>>
>>"He's African-American," she said. "She is European. Asian. Sativeh is
>>African-American, has started one-on-one tutoring, but her behavior is
>>getting in the way. I know my kids."
>>
>>The new law says states must let parents and other taxpayers compare 
one
>>school with another across the state. Christensen, the education
>>commissioner, said Nebraska has no plans to abide by that.
>>
>>"Hell no," he said. "What good would it be to compare Omaha public
>>schools, with its 75,000 students, to Lake Alice Elementary School in 
the
>>western part of the state, which has 25 kids? That accomplishes 
nothing."
>>
>>Supporters of the new law say they are frustrated by Nebraska's 
defiance,
>>which, they say, could undercut Bush's effort to impose accountability 
on
>>schools across the country. Some education reformers warn that if the
>>administration gives even one state too much wiggle room, the entire
>>foundation of the law could crumble.
>>
>>In defense of its system, Nebraska officials point out that, when
>>measured on a national achievement test, their state performs well.
>>Critics, though, say Nebraska has smaller percentages of 
lower-income
>>minority students, who tend to produce lower scores, than do many 
other
>>states. Judged only on the basis of its minority students, critics say,
>>Nebraska doesn't look so good.
>>
>>"If I were an education official in a state where 79 percent of my
>>African-American students were not at a basic math level, I'd be a little
>>reticent about leading some crusade against this new law," said Sandy
>>Kress, a former Bush education adviser who helped draft the law.
>>
>>Nebraska officials stress that they don't think the system Bush first
>>developed as Texas governor fits their state.
>>
>>"We're not Texas," Christensen said. "With San Antonio, Dallas, 
Houston
>>and big urban schools, maybe the only way to straighten them up is to
>>jerk them up by their bootstraps. And well, if we want to pull on our
>>bootstraps, we'll pull our own."
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>Copyright (c) 2003, The Baltimore Sun
>>
>>Link to the article: 
http://www.sunspot.net/bal-te.education30dec30.story
>>
>>Visit http://www.sunspot.net
>>
>>
>>
>>Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to 
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>>
>
>

Claryce L. Evans


 

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/