Posted on 03/25/2006 7:50:14 PM PST by mathprof
Thousands of schools across the nation are responding to the reading and math testing requirements laid out in No Child Left Behind, President Bush's signature education law, by reducing class time spent on other subjects and, for some low-proficiency students, eliminating it.
Schools from Vermont to California are increasing — in some cases tripling — the class time that low-proficiency students spend on reading and math, mainly because the federal law, signed in 2002, requires annual exams only in those subjects and punishes schools that fall short of rising benchmarks.
The changes appear to principally affect schools and students who test below grade level.
The intense focus on the two basic skills is a sea change in American instructional practice, with many schools that once offered rich curriculums now systematically trimming courses like social studies, science and art. A nationwide survey by a nonpartisan group that is to be made public on March 28 indicates that the practice, known as narrowing the curriculum, has become standard procedure in many communities.
The survey, by the Center on Education Policy, found that since the passage of the federal law, 71 percent of the nation's 15,000 school districts had reduced the hours of instructional time spent on history, music and other subjects to open up more time for reading and math. The center is an independent group that has made a thorough study of the new act and has published a detailed yearly report on the implementation of the law in dozens of districts.
"Narrowing the curriculum has clearly become a nationwide pattern," said Jack Jennings, the president of the center, which is based in Washington.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
However, it its unintended consequence is that schools focus more on the 3 R's, then that's great.
My kids waste far too much of their class time on PC indoctrination.
"Schools Cut Back Subjects to Push Reading and Math"
They make that sound like a bad thing...
Local districts in CA are in the process of setting up broadband networks for math and science courses to be taught remotely from India starting next year.
Very sad. How will kids ever learn to put a condom on a banana?
Who will teach them that global warming is caused by Republican robber barons?
I like to hear more about this. Are we in the process of sending teaching jobs overseas? I am surprise that the NEA and teachers union isn't going ballistic.
You just watch how this is managed though. What will be cut are geography, world history and other important topics. What won't be cut are sex education, alternative lifestyles indoctrination and the Koran as an alternative holy book.
I gotta tell ya, when it comes to our public school upper level management and school boards, the Stalin model isn't quite as objectionable as it used to be as far as I am concerned.
Some of these folks should be in a dark prison hole never to be heard from again.
not exactly a good thing
If you cannot do the basic three R's, offering science, social studies and other courses are not going to help you graduate or be a functional graduate in the world.
Down your alley (( ping ))
I am amazed that there are still places trying to teach reading by "whole language" rather than phonics. Places that have switched to phonics have seen great improvement in early reading achievement. Some theories (communism) die hard with some people.
Why would it be so hard to teach someone to read material that incorporates World History and Geography? This has stumped me for some time.
The priorities of Liberals are up-side-down. But at least now math and reading are automatic fixtures that can't be ignored by the nuts.
There was a time I would agree with you. But with what passes for "history" in public schools today, I can't say that I do.
They can do history in the upper grades after they learn to read history books. We had a teacher of first graders who, before they could read or write, came up with a poetry project. The parents wrote the poems and worked with the kids to memorize them for the "reading." :)
You need to give students the core tools to succeed and learn things on their own. If Johnny can't read, he's not learning history either, and if Johnny can't add, science is worthless.
Within a few years it could. In year one and two there are a lot of phonics and other things that need to be taught. The larger more complex words associated with history and other topics could certainly be utilized in years three plus. I'd agree.
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