Fwd: [LiteracyForAll] please forward widely

[Susan Harman <susanharman@igc.org>]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Ken Goodman <KGoodman@u.arizona.edu>
> Date: Sun Aug 26, 2007  9:35:47 AM US/Pacific
>
> Representative Raoul Grijalva, a member of the House Education
> Committee, held a briefing on NCLB in Tucson yesterday.
>
> The most important thing he reported is that NCLB reauthorization will
> be on the front burner when Congress reconvenes in September. They
> purpose to have a draft of the revised NCLB in mid-September and send 
> it
> to the House in early October. He promised to post the reauthorization
> bill on his website for comment and response as soon as it is 
> available.
>
> He spokeof three F's the committee is considering in revising NCLB:
> Fairmess, flexibility and and finances. He indicated that he is part of
> a group of 4-5 democrats on the committee pushing for serious changes 
> in
> NCLB. He's particularly concerned about bilingual and minority 
> students.
> He mentioned that the appropriations committee has recommended 
> diverting
> 60% of Reading  First money until the mess over mandated materials is
> cleared up. He's also concerned about the impact of NCLB on special ed
> programs and said that IDEA should always supercede NCLB.
>
> What this means is that the next six weeks will be crucial . It looksd
> like the committee wants to make some basic changes particularly around
> testing, punitive aspects of NCLB and flexibility for language learners
> and special education. The possibility still exists that they might 
> just
> pass a continuing resolution which could continue NCLB as is and push
> the whole thing  off until after the Nov 2008 election.  That would be 
> a
> disaster for two more classes of school entrants .
>
> My recommendations: Congress- particualry members of the House and
> Senate education committees need to be bombarded with email, letters 
> and
> phone calls calling for major changes in NCLB. Be sure to contact your
> own members of Congress.
>
> Here are the issues I would focus on:
>     1. Getting rid of the punitive aspects of NCLB. Making it support
> schools that need help rather punishing them.
>     2. Rewarding growth rather than punishing failure.
>     3. Providing 4 years of transition for English learners.
>     4. Accomodation for special ed students with IDEA having precedence
> over NCLB
>     5. Getting rid of "highly" in judging who is qualified and 
> providing
> funding to support the teacher education necessary to produce the 
> needed
> certified teachers. Emphasizing that certified teachers are qualified.
>     6. Narrowiung of the curriculum under NCLB - bringing arts, phys 
> ed,
> play back into the school day
>     6. Getting rid of AYP and using broader criteria for judging 
> success
> under NCLB.
>     7. Punishing the crooks who used Reading First to force their own
> products and ideology on states and local districts.
>     8. Undoing the damage doen by those crooks- Requiring state
> contracts with the Dept of AEd under NCLB to be renegotiated.
>     9. Invite your reps to see for themseves the damage done to kids 
> and
> teachers.
>
> Spread the word. This is the time that we can make a difference.
>
> I'll provide the information on how to access the language of the
> proposed bill as soon as Grijalva makes it available.
> Ken Goodman
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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