Fwd: [LiteracyForAll] Today's Commentary

[Susan Harman <susanharman@igc.org>]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: headlamal@aol.com
> Date: Wed Jan 10, 2007  5:07:20 AM US/Pacific
> To: LiteracyForAll@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [LiteracyForAll] Today's Commentary
> Reply-To: LiteracyForAll@yahoogroups.com
>
> I published a commentary in today's Rutland Herald "The Destruction of 
> Our
> Schools". It depicts the effects of NCLB on teaching and invited the 
> audience
> to  add their voices to the call to repeal NCLB. I thought you might be
> interested.
>
> Alis Headlam
> Rutland, Vermont
>
>
> The Destruction of our  Schools
>
> By Alis Headlam
>
> Published January 10,  2007
> Rutland Herald
>
> The unraveling of all that has made our schools strong, our teachers  
> shine,
> and our students thrive is a tale that unfolds before our eyes, but  
> remains
> uncovered in the media. This  hidden story is being carefully kept 
> under wrap
> even as more and more people  jump on the bandwagon complaining about 
> education
> in our schools. At the center  of this controversy is federal 
> legislation, No
> Child Left Behind (NCLB). This  single law has put our schools, 
> teachers, and
> children in serious jeopardy of a  complete meltdown.
> Already in Vermont, half of the high schools are failing  to meet the 
> annual
> yearly progress standards. Many of our middle and elementary  schools 
> are
> either failing or in danger of failing as well. With the added  
> pressure of
> testing, accountability and reading curriculum mandates, this bill  in 
> one grand
> sweep has undone years of professional  development.
> In Vermont the struggle to maintain a positive  image of education is 
> further
> exacerbated by local uproar over increased taxes.  Who is talking 
> about the
> increased pressures caused by NCLB as related to  increased 
> expenditures by the
> schools? No one, except Rutland Northeast  Supervisory Union, 
> Superintendent,
> Bill Mathis whose expertise on the subject  has put him in a prominent
> position nationally among educators, but caused him  to be criticized 
> in his own
> backyard.
> Who is telling the story of the parents and children who are being  
> seriously
> damaged by the misuse of high stakes testing and poor reading  
> programs?
> There is Susan Ohanian of Charlotte, Vermont whose national 
> recognition has put
> her  in the spotlight for criticism and personal attack from those who 
> would
> keep the  secrets hidden. One has only to go to her website at 
> susanohanaian.org
> to read  stories that will curl their hair.
> Who is taking up the challenge to get this message out to the people?
> Certainly, one doesn’t find it on the front pages of the media. But if 
> you look  at
> the websites of organizations like the Vermont Society for the Study of
> Education,  _www.VSSE.net_ (http://www.vsse.net/) ,  you will find 
> plenty of
> information that  will raise the hairs on the back of your neck. What 
> is more
> amazing is the  difficulty that everyone has in gaining the media’s 
> support to tell
> the story.  It feels as if there is a giant conspiracy to dismantle 
> the public
> schools so  that they can be turned into business ventures where 
> financial
> gain will become  the primary engine. The danger in this is that 
> children are
> not products and  teachers are not machines. There is a human element 
> that
> cannot be ignored if  education is to be successful. The real danger 
> is that
> instead of making sure  that no child is left behind, we will increase 
> the potential
> for poor, learning  disabled, and underprivileged children to be 
> excluded
> from educational  opportunity.
> Walk into most any school, even in Vermont, and it is possible to see 
> and
> feel  how the human element of education is changing. The tension is 
> evident.
> Attend a  school meeting and you will find teachers and administrators 
> straining
> under the  pressures of the imposed curricula, standardized testing 
> and threat
> of  government labeling. Problem-solving has been replaced by playing 
> it
> safe. Many  teachers and administrators are more pressed by the need 
> to look good
> than with  the need to find solutions to problems that address 
> individual
> needs. Schools  that once were joyful places have turned into 
> factory-like venues
> where teachers  are required by law to turn out classes of students 
> who can
> respond to test  questions like little robots. Many teachers whose 
> laughter once
> rang cheerfully  in the halls struggle with the ethical dilemma of 
> whether to
> keep their jobs or  provide the best education that they know is 
> possible for
> all children. There is  a silent exodus of our most experienced 
> teachers who
> opt out for early  retirement or change of career rather than face 
> another
> year of confinement.  Scripted programs do not allow teachers to 
> perform at their
> highest  potential.  Teachers do not feel  they have the power to 
> stand up
> for what they believe in. Their voices are being  systematically 
> squelched from
> the top.
> Talented young people who are training to be teachers struggle with the
> dilemma of whether to complete their training or concede defeat. When 
> they learn
> about the strict impositions of NCLB and they read the negative 
> reports about
> education in the media, they wonder if they will be able to use their 
> newly
> gained knowledge and skills in their profession. They worry about 
> having to
> compromise their integrity by accepting curricula that imposes so much
> structure  they will not have time to consider the needs of their 
> children. They worry
>  about behavior problems and learning problems. When they are student
> teaching  they see that schools face more challenges now than in any 
> time in the
> past.  Many children come to school with anxiety and with emotional 
> needs that
> require  special attention. On a day to day basis student teachers see 
> more of
> the  teacher’s time being spent dealing with  troubled, angry children 
> than with
>  creating rich learning environments that meet their needs. They 
> wonder if
> this  is a job worth the effort with only minimal rewards and threats 
> of
> punitive  results if the children they teach fail on a single 
> standardized test.
> Thousands of educators, including teachers, and parents around the  
> country
> are calling for a complete dissolution of NCLB, but their voices are 
> not  being
> heard. They realize that qualifying education by standardized tests  
> ignores
> most of what comprises good teaching. Must they really take to the  
> streets to
> get this message out where it will do some good? This is not so much  
> of a
> political battle and an ethical battle. Can this country afford to 
> allow
> education to self-destruct? It is time to put education back into the 
> hands of
> expert educators who can lead the way towards a brighter future of 
> public
> education. We could start by revisitng a document created in the late 
> 1960’s  called
> the Vermont Design for Education. We could further amend this and  
> challenge
> the increasing demands in today’s schools as they are addressed in
> professional standards and ethics of the most widely known educational 
>  organizations of
> this country. Much of the necessary work needed to replace NCLB  is 
> already
> complete. There is a valid foundation that can be gleaned from these  
> documents.
>
> Now is the time for all of us to take a stand  against government 
> imposed
> regulation under No Child Left Behind. For those who  are interested, 
> a petition
> is being circulated calling an end to this  legislation. It has been 
> signed by
> over 20,500 individuals including leading  educators and is still 
> accepting
> signatures. You can add your name by going  online at
> _http://www.educatorroundtable.org_ 
> (http://www.educatorroundtable.org/) .
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
>
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