Re: Congressional Republicans Turn Agains NCLB

[aburke5054@aol.com]

 -----Original Message-----
 From: qcao009@aol.com
 To: arn-l@interversity.org
 Sent: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 6:18 AM
 Subject: Re: [arn-l] Congressional Republicans Turn Agains NCLB
 
  Priscilla and Bob:
 
The scenario gets even clearer: the teachers who are willing to go along and use 
the mandated materials will be considered on this "merit" and be rewarded 
accordingly.  So now, not only do we have our own trumped up "science" to prove 
the merit, we have our own "data", and we can go on blaming everyone else except 
the earnest and sincere intention of our Administration to make things better 
for all kids ... especially in places like New Orleans.  Don't forget the Texas 
miracle !!!  And just for further admonishment, take Art's straight shooting a 
la Dick Cheney and blame the States, the districts and the schools !!!  Time to 
privatize your own Mom, Mr. and Mrs. Commander-in-literacy !!!  Welcome to New 
World values: hurrah for victory for our side !!!  
 
Quan
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: pgutpgut@msn.com
To: arn-l@interversity.org
Sent: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 8:35 AM
Subject: Re: [arn-l] Congressional Republicans Turn Agains NCLB


Bob - haven't you realized yet that it's the teachers fault (ONCE AGAIN) that 
NCLB is not working? The flat NAEP scores, the over-reliance on testing, 
teaching to the test, the elimination of any subject that isn't tested, 
lock-step curricula that produces mindless learning, the Reading First 
corruption designed to put money in the pockets of a select few publishers - all 
of it are the fault of teachers who aren't embracing the letter of the law 
(those rabble-rousers!!!); and who refuse to be held accountable (we've got to 
put the fire under your feet or else you can't be trusted!). Let's not foget 
that the recent IG investigation revealed in an email from the Dept. of Ed that 
specific reading proposals from states, even though they had data to prove they 
were working, had to be turned down precisely because "they relied too heavily 
on teacher judgement." We teachers just can't be trusted and so NCLB will take 
care of that! 
 
Never mind that international comparisons show that U.S. students place 4th in 
the world - Margaret Spellings says the U.S. isn't cutting it and NCLB is 
working! She's even manipulated the data to prove it. Why can't you embrace the 
lie? 
 
Priscilla Gutierrez 
Outreach Specialist 
New Mexico School for the Deaf 
 
...change is inevitable, growth is optional... 
 
 
 
>From: Bob Schaeffer <bobschaeffer@earthlink.net> 
>Reply-To: arn-l@interversity.org 
>To: ARN Main List <arn-l@interversity.org>, arn2-strategy ><arn2-strategy@yahoogroups.com> 

>Subject: [arn-l] Congressional Republicans Turn Agains NCLB 
>Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 07:26:51 -0400 
> 
>DOZENS IN GOP TURN AGAINST BUSH'S PRIZED "NO CHILD" ACT 
> 
>Washington Post -- March 15, 2007 
>by Jonathan Weisman and Amit R. Paley 
> 
>More than 50 GOP members of the House and Senate -- including the House's 
>second-ranking Republican -- will introduce legislation today that could 
>severely undercut President Bush's signature domestic achievement, the No 
>Child Left Behind Act, by allowing states to opt out of its testing >mandates. 
> 
>For a White House fighting off attacks on its war policy and dealing with a 
>burgeoning scandal at the Justice Department, the GOP dissidents' move is a 
>fresh blow on a new front. Among the co-sponsors of the legislation are >House 
Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), a key supporter of the measure in >2001, and 
John Cornyn (R-Tex.), Bush's most reliable defender in the >Senate. Rep. Eric 
Cantor (Va.), the House GOP's chief deputy whip and a >supporter in 2001, has 
also signed on. 
> 
>Burson Snyder, a spokesman for Blunt, said that after several meetings with 
>school administrators and teachers in southwest Missouri, the House >Republican 
leader turned against the measure he helped pass. Blunt was >convinced that the 
burdens and red tape of the No Child Left Behind Act are >unacceptably onerous, 
Snyder said. 
> 
>Some Republicans said yesterday that a backlash against the law was 
>inevitable. Many voters in affluent suburban and exurban districts -- GOP 
>strongholds -- think their schools have been adversely affected by the law. 
>Once-innovative public schools have increasingly become captive to federal 
>testing mandates, jettisoning education programs not covered by those >tests, 
siphoning funds from programs for the talented and gifted, and >discouraging 
creativity, critics say. 
> 
>To be sure, key lawmakers would like to reauthorize the law this year. >Ranking 
Republicans on the House and Senate education committees are >pushing for a 
renewal. And key Democrats, including Rep. George Miller >(Calif.) and Sen. 
Edward M. Kennedy (Mass.), the chairmen of the House and >Senate committees 
responsible for drafting an updated No Child Left Behind >Act, are strong 
supporters, although they want large increases in funding >and more emphasis on 
teacher training and development. 
> 
>Still, Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-Mich.), author of the new House bill, said >the 
number of Republicans already backing the new measure exceeds the 41 >House 
Republicans and Democrats who voted against the original legislation >in 2001. 
Of the House bill's co-sponsors, at least eight voted for the >president's plan 
six years ago. 
> 
>"President Bush and I just see education fundamentally differently," said 
>Hoekstra, a longtime opponent of the law. "The president believes in 
>empowering bureaucrats in Washington, and I believe in local and parental 
>control." 
> 
>As Congress considers reauthorizing the No Child Left Behind Act, the GOP 
>rebellion could grow, conceded Rep. Howard P. "Buck" McKeon (Calif.), the 
>ranking Republican on the House Education and Labor Committee and a key >ally 
of the president on the issue. "It was a struggle getting it passed >last time. 
It'll be even more of a struggle this time," he said. 
> 
>Under Hoekstra's bill, any state could essentially opt out of No Child Left 
>Behind after one of two actions. A state could hold a referendum, or two of 
>three elected entities -- the governor, the legislature and the state's 
>highest elected education official -- could decide that the state would no 
>longer abide by the strict rules on testing and the curriculum. 
> 
>The Senate bill is slightly less permissive, but it would allow a state to 
>negotiate a "charter" with the federal government to get away from the >law's 
mandates. 
> 
>In both cases, the states that opt out would still be eligible for federal 
>funding, but those states could exempt any education program but special 
>education from No Child Left Behind strictures. 
> 
>Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) said that advocates do not intend to repeal the No 
>Child Left Behind Act. Instead, they want to give states more flexibility >to 
meet the president's goals of education achievement, he said. As a House >member 
in 2001, DeMint opposed No Child Left Behind when it first came to a >vote, but 
he voted for it on final passage. 
> 
>"So many people are frustrated with the shackles of No Child Left Behind," 
>DeMint said. "I don't think anyone argues with measuring what we're doing, >but 
the fact is, even the education community . . . sees us just testing, >testing, 
testing, and reshaping the curriculum so we look good." 
> 
>Parent unrest in places such as Scarsdale, N.Y., and parts of suburban 
>Michigan could affect members of Congress. Connecticut has sued the >government 
over the law, while legislatures in Virginia, Colorado and >heavily Republican 
Utah have moved to supersede it. 
> 
>Republican lawmakers involved in crafting the new legislation say Education 
>Secretary Margaret Spellings and other administration officials have moved >in 
recent days to tamp down dissent within the GOP. Since January, >Spellings has 
met or spoken with about 40 Republican lawmakers on the >issue, said Katherine 
McLane, the Education Department's press secretary. 
> 
>"We've made a lot of progress in the past five years in serving the >children 
who have traditionally been underserved in our education system," >McLane said. 
"Now is not the time to roll back the clock on those >children." 
> 
>But so far, the administration's efforts have borne little fruit, >Republican 
critics said. 
> 
>"Republicans voted for No Child Left Behind holding their noses," said >Michael 
J. Petrilli, an Education Department official during Bush's first >term who is 
now a critic of the law. "But now with the president so >politically weak, 
conservatives can vote their conscience." 
> 
> >http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/14/AR2007031402741.html 

> 
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