Re: San Diego Education Association on NCLB

[Michelle Montali <michel1282@cox.net>]

In the mean time, the district has implemented an "assessment" composed of released CAT 6/STAR test items to be used in determining report card grades in a number of schools...

---- Rich Gibson <rgibson@pipeline.com> wrote: 
> http://www.sdea.net/Column_VP/column_VP.html
> 
> 
> It is Time to Stand Up
> (Past Time, Actually)
> By Marc Capitelli, SDEA Vice President
> 
> We have waited for someone else in our unions or in politics to put 
> an end to the atrocity called No Child Left Behind. As we have 
> watched our schools move more and more into becoming test preparation 
> factories with children going in and test takers coming out, 
> politicians and union leaders have tried to play the "fix it and fund 
> it" game. NCLB cannot be fixed and it will never be funded properly!
> How long have we waited for the feds and the state to properly fund 
> programs like they promised?
> 
> <mailto:%20cap@alum.calberkely?subject=fwd%20to%20M%20Capitelli>
> [ Marc Capitelli ]
> 
> 
> The time has come for a national discussion about what public 
> education should be. We believe that public education is the 
> cornerstone of our democracy. We believe that NCLB is an ongoing 
> attack on the foundation of a free and democratic people. We believe 
> it is time to lead the movement to restore a sane, stable, well 
> funded, ACCOUNTABLE by all stakeholders, public education system. 
> Accordingly, the Board of Directors passed the following resolution 
> and recommendation to present to the February Representative Council 
> of the San Diego Education Association.
> 
> Whereas Great Public Schools are the foundation of a strong, vital 
> democracy; and
> 
> Whereas Great Public Schools are the foundation of a just and moral 
> society; and
> 
> Whereas every child deserves to attend a Great Public School; and
> 
> Whereas ESEA (NCLB), in its current authorization, is destroying 
> public education by:
> Devastating Public Education as an institution and Promoting 
> privatization of Public Education and Discrediting Public Education 
> and Creating impossible requirements for schools to meet and Creating 
> meaningless workloads for teachers that are driving teachers from the 
> profession and Diverting scarce funding from the primary goal of 
> educating our children to be productive participants in our democracy 
> and Dividing parents, schools and communities from working together 
> to educate our children and
> 
> Whereas it is the belief of the San Diego Education Association that:
> ESEA, in its current NCLB authorization, can not be overhauled, fixed 
> or properly funded and ESEA, in its current NCLB authorization, 
> should be re-written by a commission comprised of stakeholders in 
> Public Education and Such commission be comprised of representatives 
> from 1. NEA 2. AFT 3. Universities and Colleges engaged in the 
> training and preparation of teachers 4. Bipartisan members of 
> Congress 5. Parental groups Such reauthorization should embrace 
> proven programs, like 1. Smaller classes, and 2. Advocate for 
> additional targeted resources to help low-income and minority 
> students achieve their basic right to a quality education, and 3. 
> Emphasize factors crucial to ensuring a great public school for every 
> child such as; Parental, family, and community involvement and 
> engagement, and Adequate, equitable, and sustainable school funding, 
> and A qualified, caring, diverse, and stable workforce, and Such 
> reauthorization be completed by July, 2009 Therefore it shall be the 
> policy of the San Diego Education
> Association to endeavor to scrap the current ESEA (NCLB) by:
> Instructing its members to the State Council of the California 
> Teachers Association to introduce a motion (NBI), at the earliest 
> time, at the State Council consisting of the above points and 
> Instructing its representatives to the Representative Assembly of the 
> National Education Association in Philadelphia in the summer of 2007 
> to introduce a similar motion (NBI) at the Representative Assembly, 
> should CTA not bring forth an NBI that supports the policy of SDEA.
> 
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> Thanks in advance!
> -Eric Crump