Educators feeling left behind

[Peter Farruggio <pfarr@cal.berkeley.edu>]

Educators feeling left behind

Changes requested on 5th anniversary of 'No Child' statute
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Angela Townsend
Plain Dealer Reporter
http://www.cleveland.com/education/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/116833546448420.xml&coll=2
While the Bush administration touted the merits of No Child Left 
Behind on its fifth anniversary Monday, national and local educators 
called for changes in what they say is a flawed law.

No Child Left Behind won bipartisan backing when Congress passed it 
in 2002, and it's up for renewal this year.

The main goal is to have all students perform at grade level in 
reading and math by 2014.

That's admirable, educators say, but difficult to accomplish when 
financial constraints, uneven interpretations and an overemphasis on 
testing come with the package.

"There are too many people and too many school systems that are 
labeled as failing," National Education Association President Reg 
Weaver said Monday.

Instead of widespread sanctions, "let's figure out what's wrong and 
how we can help these people."

Schools that get federal aid but do not make enough progress must 
provide tutoring, allow students to transfer or initiate other 
reforms such as changing the staff.

The law's financial impact has been hard to quantify, but the cost 
includes teacher training, new textbooks and additional staffing. 
High-poverty districts like Cleveland, where many children are 
ill-prepared for school and lack family support, are especially 
challenged by the law's demands.

"Given the right resources, all problems can be adequately 
addressed," Cleveland schools CEO Eugene Sanders said. "But to expect 
a level of achievement to occur given that level of inequity. . . ?

"They basically say to you, 'Make it work,' but they don't give you 
the resources needed to make it work."

In a meeting on Monday with congressional leaders, President Bush 
pushed for the law's reauthorization but was noncommittal on their 
request for more money to help schools meet its requirements.

Paul Yocum, superintendent of the Cardinal district in Geauga County, 
echoed Sanders' complaints about the lack of money.

"We're not against upping the standards for our students," he said. 
"But when we're in a time of financial difficulty . . . it falls back 
on property owners - our voters."

Rick Buckosh, superintendent of the Clearview schools in Lorain 
County, said he has had to add remediation courses - not an easy 
thing to do when the district is laying off teachers.

Under No Child Left Behind, some veteran teachers are being told that 
they are not "highly qualified" to do their jobs.

Karen Vince, a special-education intervention specialist at Nordonia 
High School in Summit County, is one of 400 educators whose comments 
are included in a new NEA publication about the law.

"I've taught for 33 years, the majority of that in special 
education," said Vince, who this year has a class of 13 cognitively 
disabled students.

But holding the right license wasn't enough under the federal law. 
Two years ago, Vince's district sent her to four weeks of summer 
classes and one weekend workshop for coursework that transformed her 
into "highly qualified."

What did she learn?

"Basically, how to use the content standards book and some skills 
that are not applicable to what I teach," she said. "I had to take 
algebra . . . and I'm teaching my kids how to tell time."

Lawmakers outlined more concerns for U.S. Education Secretary 
Margaret Spellings during Monday's meeting. They included: how to 
test special education and limited-English-speaking students; a 
desire to give schools credit for progress even when they fall short 
of annual targets; and the need to give students access to 
high-quality free tutoring.

Patti Picard, curriculum director for Hudson schools in Summit 
County, sees value in the law's clear standards, which have helped 
school districts set academic priorities, she said.

At the same time, such a strong emphasis on standardized testing is 
disconcerting, she added.

"When something like No Child Left Behind focuses so closely on a 
test score, it does affect the kind of teaching that you do," Picard 
said. "It becomes kind of a forced march."

She hopes legislators listen to the people who best know the 
challenges of teaching youngsters. Otherwise, she said, "I'm afraid 
that we're going to create a culture of people who have lost their 
zest for love of learning."

Information from the Associated Press was included in this story.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:

atownsend@plaind.com, 216-999-3894