Math and English All the Time

[George Sheridan <learn@jps.net>]

Many school districts are focusing all their attention on math and English 
skills to the exclusion of other subjects - a direct response to the 
federal No Child Left Behind Act - according to  a study by the Center for 
Education Policy. 299 rural, suburban and urban districts across the United 
States were surveyed by the non-partisan group for its study, "From the 
Capital to the Classroom: Year Four of the No Child Left Behind Act."

"Some districts view this extra time for reading and math as necessary to 
help low-achieving students catch up," says center president Jack Jennings. 
"Others pointed to negative effects, such as short-changing students from 
learning important subjects, squelching creativity in teaching and 
learning, or diminishing activities that might keep children interested in 
school."

The center is urging the U.S.Department of Education to provide additional 
funding so schools can implement NCLB without having to cut other subjects 
and shortchange students. "Both the President and Congress moved in exactly 
the wrong direction last year by approving a cut in education, and this 
year aggravated the situation by approving another cut just as the demands 
of the law were becoming greater,"  says Jennings.

The study notes that student test scores have improved overall, but that 
urban districts are the hardest hit by the punitive parts of the law. 
Approximately 90 percent of the schools currently being restructured for 
failing to meet NCLB requirements are in urban districts. The study 
attributes the disproportionate number of urban schools identified as 
needing improvement partly to the fact that inner-city schools serve many 
low-income students.

California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell says 
he agrees with the concern of the center over the shift in emphasis to math 
and reading skills in response to NCLB. But he says he is also concerned 
about the fundamental need for basic skills.  According to O'Connell, "It 
is important for us to remember that reading and math are gateway skills, 
fundamental to success in other subjects, in higher education, and the 
workplace. If a student does not have these basic skills, it is imperative 
that schools focus on helping our kids acquire them."

O'Connell says the state should encourage the integration of basic skills 
across the curriculum. "It is possible to integrate our high math and 
reading standards into the study of history, social studies, music, art and 
science, and excellent teachers throughout California are doing just that."


George Sheridan