Re: Commentary Published

["Monty Neill" <monty@fairtest.org>]

Congratulations - it is a fine piece, very much deserved to be published, 
and I am glad to see it. Thank you.

I hope others among us will also work to get op eds into papers. There are 
too many op eds promoting NCLB - we need more opposing it.

Writing one is not easy - takes time and patience to think through which 
issues of many to raise, how to phrase things, getting the language simple 
enough, writing in a way that fits the paper in which you want to publish, 
etc. But these things are very important.

Thanks again, Priscilla.

Monty
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "PRISCILLA GUTIERREZ" <pgutpgut@msn.com>
To: <arn-l@interversity.org>; "LiteracyForAll" 
<literacyforall@yahoogroups.com>; <philipkovacs@educatorroundtable.org>
Sent: Sunday, November 04, 2007 9:12 AM
Subject: [arn-l] Commentary Published




My commentary on NCLB was published in today's edition of the Santa Fe New 
Mexican, along with another anti-NCLB commentary from Dr. Paul Martinez and 
Dr. Cheryl Brown Kovacic, from the Center for Education and Study of Diverse 
Populations at NM Highlands University.  They recently held a two-day parent 
conference on NCLB that included 300 participants.  Some of the highlights 
from their commentary include:

1) Parents want access to the decisions being made about their child's 
classroom and program.  They have been disturbed when local school boards or 
principals do not value their input.  They also want to be informed about 
policy, state standards, budget issues and accountability.
2) A consistent concern was the narrowing of curriculum under NCLB that 
focused on teaching to the test.  Also they were upset at the loss of 
creativity on the part of teachers due to pressures to increase test scores.
3)  Parents were concerned over the lack of time for students to "just be a 
kid" because of increased pressures to perform well on one-shot tests.  They 
want a balanced approach that address the WHOLE child - socially as well as 
academically.
4) School ratings should not be based on just one test.  Rather testing 
should provide information on the strengths and weaknesses, as well as 
opportunities to show what children know outside of what is on the state 
test.  They also want schools to get credit for how much a student has 
improved.
5) Parents want realistic goals for students with disabilities.  Rather than 
compare them with non-disabled peers, parents would prefer that the growth 
of individual students be charted long-term to see how they are improving 
and growing.
6) Parents are concerned that current policy emphasizes teaching to the 
book, which leaves out the real human part of cultural diversity.
7) Parents want meaningful involvement in the schools - not just being asked 
to volunteer to make copies or address envelopes.
8) And finally, parents want to see increased funding for schools.


Priscilla Gutierrez
Outreach Specialist
New Mexico School for the Deaf

...change is inevitable, growth is optional...
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