Re: FW - Hillary Clinton on NCLB and testing

[Claudia Ayers <cayers@aptoshs.net>]

I saw Hillary's entire Des Moines event (CSPAN) and almost fell off my chair in
joy after Alan's articulate question! Hillary started to get some good points,
but then had to say she believed in accountability and in incentives for
teachers. So I just went to her Senate website and sent her this message:

Regarding Hillary's Run for President, I personally would rather see her stay in
the Senate and see Democrats GO with Gore-Obama, yet she may still win me over.
What follows will make a BIG difference to Hillaryâ??s ability to be a successful
candidate for President. If she really hears what follows, and follows up with
real teachers who will make clear what NCLB is doing in classrooms, she will be a
MUCH stronger candidate.

Please forward this e-mail to Hillaryâ??s education person, Chief of Staff in the
Senate, AND the Chief of Staff on the Presidental Campaign (Terry McAuliffe?)

When Hillary says she understands the problem about test scores (only a snap
shot, not the whole story) as she did in Des Moines, Iowa, on Saturday after Alan
Youngâ??s terrific last question of the event, she shows that she is STARTING to
"get" the problem with mandatory testing.

BUT, then she went on to say she believes in accountability and
incentives...which proves that she doesn't get it at all. I'm a teacher. I know
that local schools are almost always viewed favorably by their stakeholders. We
are accountable; we wouldnâ??t survive in this under-supported system if we were
not. I've known hundreds of teachers and I am always impressed with what they
each bring to their classrooms, even teachers who may not always appear to have
high respect quotients (Iâ??m not talking about the very few teachers who are
really rotten, deranged or immoralâ?¦.but my profession has these is much smaller
percentages than is found in other professional groups).

The "accountability" that NCLB places on students and teachers is outrageously
demeaning, and Hillary is slapping down teachers when she uses that phrase. Why
do politicians feel teachers need orders of magnitude more accountability than
other professionals??? Even more importantly, the testing accountability is far,
FAR more insulting, damaging, and sometimes devastating to the students
themselves. If students see that their test scores are at the 50th percentile,
they will NOT see themselves as normal (which they ARE) they will see themselves
as stupid! Everyone knows that scores of 70% or higher are the only ones
acceptableâ?¦.or so they thinkâ?¦.and increasingly students are programmed to think
this way.

â??Normed scoresâ?? from the 20th through the 80th percentiles are normal, but the
vast majority of kids of see results in these ranges will start to think of
themselves as worse than inadequate, when they should not be! It is harder and
harder for teachers to work with disconsolate youngsters and youth: all this
accountability is destroying public education. We only have kids in our rooms for
15% of their waking hours, for God sakes. Please allow us use that time
productively, authentically, and progressively. Using it for near-pointless
test-prep is nothing short of insanity--and insanity is just what NCLB demands.
Alan Young was trying to tell Hillary just this, but he was doing it politely.

Hillaryâ??s response to Alan Young also mentioned incentives. IF you want respect
from teachers, you probably never want to say that again. Teachers donâ??t need
incentives (nor do students!!). They need fairness, authentic curriculum, support
and respect from politicians. If we were in this for the money, donâ??t you think
we would be doing something else?

Politicians bash teachers and students by the unfair demand for over-zealous
accountability when we, as a profession, are already held in high esteem in our
communities. Students who have adequate food, shelter, health care and nurturing
will do fine in our schools, so long as they are not constantly being told they
must â??perform better on standardized tests.â?? The less they know about any kind of
standardized test scores the better. This is the philosophy in Finland, where
literacy is the highest in the world.

In summary, saying â??I believe in accountability (and or incentives)â?? will NOT
help you!

Instead say, â??I believe we have over-done accountability in public schools,
students and teachers need to be more appropriately supported than is currently
the case under NCLB. Our children are far more than the averages of their test
scores, and educational policy makers need to keep than in mind.â??

Hillary, for every 25 students in every town and city in this country, there is
at least 1 teacher. If you want our support, you still have much to learn about
what teachers and their students really need. We are willing to help you
understand these major concerns, ask us for our insights!



Monty Neill wrote:

I am forwarding this message re: Hillary Clinton on testing and NCLB. It is very
brief.

Dear All; Alan Young, Pres of Des Moines, IowaTeachers' Union (who was at
Coalition of Essential Schools annual Fall Forum in Chicago last Nov.) asks
Hillary Clinton about her position on NCLB reauthoriz. & her position on testing
vs. education she says:test scores are a snapshot in time;I believe in
accountability but the pressure of tests doesn't allow us to see life
wholistically;do not meet the needs of the whole child, the artistic and children
who need a longer time to learn;refers to her work in Arkansas during Clinton's
Governorship; we have to rethink it because we are not addressing the needs orgetting
more students in math and sciences on CSpan Sun 1/28/07 7:-7:30pm __._,_.___Messages
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