Too Many Schools To Be Left Behind?

Hartford Courant ^ | June 9 2002 | ROBERT A. FRAHM

[2Trievers]

The standards in President Bush's new education law are so demanding that educators believe thousands of schools across the nation - the overwhelming majority in some states - could be labeled as failing.

Even in states such as Connecticut and North Carolina, where public schools are considered among the best in the nation, officials predict that vast numbers of schools will fall short of targets under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

Although officials have praised the law's intent to improve academic performance, some worry that it will single out far too many schools for intervention.

[Feckless]

"will single out far too many schools for intervention."

When's the last time any liberal said there are too many slugs defined as homeless, poor, discriminated against, etc so we shouldn't fund this federal program to "help"?

Me thinks they would rather have problems than solutions. Kind of hard to do with an educated public.........

[NoControllingLegalAuthority]

The poor education of American youth IS a reflection of the failure of a majority of public schools. Poor reading skills, ignorance of American history and substandard math proficiency are the RULE rather than the exception among "government" high school seniors in the United States.

The failure is so obvious it is ridiculous to argue otherwise.

[PogySailor]

"I think it's an admirable concept," said Rosemary Coyle, president of the Connecticut Education Association teachers' union, "but it's not based in reality. When you're going to identify 75 percent of the schools in the state [as failures]. . .what kind of message is that?"

Why does this comment not surprise me?

[NoControllingLegalAuthority]

From this morning's Miami Herald:

"More than 142,000 South Florida public school students share a sad secret. They can barely read." A Crisis of Literacy For Kids

[DugwayDuke]

"The standards in President Bush's new education law are so demanding that educators believe thousands of schools across the nation - the overwhelming majority in some states - could be labeled as failing."

So, is the problem the fact that so many schools are failing or that so many schools would be labeled as failing? Looks to me like the education community doesn't want to admit that it is doing a miserable job. One is reminded of the opposition to competency testing of teachers where most graduating teachers can't pass the exams.

[rabidralph]

When's the last time any liberal said there are too many slugs defined as homeless, poor, discriminated against, etc so we shouldn't fund this federal program to "help"?

Yeah. Where's their diversity, now? The President told them that they better shape up and, typical of liberals, they're more concerned about the "label" and how it will make them feel to be called failures. This is very funny.

[ladylib]

When my niece was in fourth grade, she tested on a tenth-grade level in reading. I was in the room when my brother, who is a teacher, gave her a reading test. I thought to myself, "I guess she reads alright for a fourth grader." When my brother told me she tested on a tenth-grade level, my jaw dropped. This story is absolutely pathetic. I wonder if any of it has to do with the execrable "whole language" method of teaching reading, rather than using phonics?

[2Trievers]

"The poor education of American youth IS a reflection of the failure of a majority of public schools."

Uh huh ... and where are the PARENTS who should be screaming bloody murder that the education is substandard? &;-)

[kittymyrib]

When Ross Perot began the push to improve Texas schools 20 years ago, we heard all the whining here, too. But Texans sucked it up and went to work and our achievement levels have risen. The standards are still too low, but will be raised again next year with the new Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) that will require higher scores to pass. We have a far greater illegal alien population and have far fewer students from affluent families than Connecticut, so what excuse can they possibly have? And a Texas teacher with 20 years experience makes $45,000 a year compared with over $65,000 for a Connecticut teacher, so it can't be lack of teacher pay. It should finally seep into the ignorant voters heads who keep giving their local schools an "A" on the media's mythical "report card" that their school really should have an "F" when the school scores are published, as they are in every newspaper in Texas every year (with separate published scores for each ethnic group and the economically disadvantaged). No wonder the NEA hates this system of accountablity so much! It requires much more than we've been getting for the trillions of tax dollars spent on education in America in the last 40 years.

[rdb3]

The standards in President Bush's new education law are so demanding that educators believe thousands of schools across the nation - the overwhelming majority in some states - could be labeled as failing.

HOLD THE PHONE!

Is this the method behind the madness?

Hear me out, people. Follow closely. President Bush undoubtedly gave our so-called "Education Senator," Teddy Kennedy, virtually everything he wanted in the education bill. We all know that the NEA, AFT, and RATS want money above all else, right?

So, did the President sign off on a huge appropriations bill, knowing that they would jump on it, while sliding in some very tough "standards?"

Think about it for a second or two.

If the schools are then labeled as failing for not achieving the goals set out in the bill, is this not a segue for the introduction of vouchers? I was not upset at the President for not jumping right on the vouchers initiative because Cleveland, Milwaukee, and I believe Florida have voucher cases pending before the SCOTUS. It would make no sense to implement them now if they are going to be struck down as unconstitutional.

So, am I wrong, or, did President George W. Bush use "strategery" for a long-term goal?

I can't say affirmatively, but it sure looks like it!

[Jim Noble]

There are school districts in Massachusetts where 99% of the tenth graders fail the state test.

The gap between communities where the average IQ is 110 and those where the average IQ is 85 is enormous. Public school systems which can prepare students with IQs of 85 to pass a "high school leaving test" cannot educate students with IQs of 110 and up. School systems which demand the best of students with IQs of 110 must flunk out students with IQs of 85.

The idea of national (or state) curricula, standards, and testing is based on a false premise, and is leading to disaster.

[NoControllingLegalAuthority]

Parents might have to admit their own role in the failure of education. They might have to recognize parents must closely monitor the student's progress, assist their own children if they are struggling with learning and demand improvement if schools fail to deliver.

[Miss Marple]

I see that it is suddenly dawning on the NEA that they did NOT get what they thought they did. Har!

[Freee-dame]

...assist their own children if they are struggling with learning and demand improvement if schools fail to deliver.

Far too many students do not "struggle" at all with learning. They think that school should be fun and that teachers should be entertainers. Why is effort on the part of the student so rarely listed as one of the main ingredients in becoming educated? Students who take personal responsibility for the work that is assigned learn far more than those who believe that their lack of acheivement is the fault of teachers, curriculum, community or parents.

[Irene Adler]

Our "unprepared, dummy, lacking 'gravitas'" President Bush just keeps looking smarter all the time. It's for certain Kennedy never read the bill, but his aides certainly should have. If they didn't, too bad for them.

[LizJ]

So, am I wrong, or, did President George W. Bush use "strategery" for a long-term goal?

I think you are correct. I've always thought that myself. I get upset when Rush (and others) complain that he "let Ted Kennedy write the bill". Really, there was no way he could have passed any bill that included full vouchers last year. If he has the data to prove that the schools aren't working maybe getting vouchers will become easier. I believe that if the 9/11 hadn't happened, Bush probably would be talking a lot more about the voucher issue and trying to change people's minds. But unfortunately, he has other things to focus on right now.

Also, when people complain about the extra spending in the bill, they should know that much of the spending is going to be used to pay for all this testing. That is one reason why the liberals aren't satisfied with it. Truly, I don't think the bill is that far off of what he campaigned on. Yes, he compromised with Kennedy, but I don't think it is as bad as many have said it is.

[rdb3]

This article here sounded off bells and whistles in my head. The NEA et al. does not like to be tested in any way, and they most certainly don't like to be held accountable. Which makes me think that Kennedy and Co. didn't read this bill in its entirety. I believe that they just jumped on the money.

If this testing scenario shakes out and proves empirically that our schools are failing (Ray Charles can see that they are), the RATS will then have found out that they chased Brer Dubya into the briar patch.

We shall wait and see, shan't we?

[DSH]

The gap between communities where the average IQ is 110 and those where the average IQ is 85 is enormous. Public school systems which can prepare students with IQs of 85 to pass a "high school leaving test" cannot educate students with IQs of 110 and up. School systems which demand the best of students with IQs of 110 must flunk out students with IQs of 85.

The idea of national (or state) curricula, standards, and testing is based on a false premise, and is leading to disaster.

You've touched on an important issue that few -- including those for whom "educational reform" is little more than an opportunity to score partisan political points -- are even willing to consider.

[Salvation]

The standards in President Bush's new education law are so demanding that educators believe thousands of schools across the nation - the overwhelming majority in some states - could be labeled as failing.

Which just proves the point that Public School is not the best choice. Time to get with the program out there in taxpayer supported education land!

[2Trievers]

"Parents might have to admit their own role in the failure of education. They might have to recognize parents must closely monitor the student's progress, assist their own children if they are struggling with learning and demand improvement if schools fail to deliver."

Thank you ... this piece of the equation is a big one. And why are parents not involved? ... because they are probably BOTH working to make a decent wage, to provide a decent life-style for their families ... and PAY THEIR TAXES to the giant Beltway sucking monster. &;-)

[WIMom]

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[FrogMom]

thousands of schools across the nation - the overwhelming majority in some states - could be labeled as failing.

GOOD.

[FrogMom]

Even in states such as Connecticut and North Carolina, where public schools are considered among the best in the nation

Lord help us. When we lived in North Carolina, the baby-sitter I hired was a Senior in high school and an honor student. FrogDad and I came home one night, the kids were in bed asleep and the babysitter was sitting and doing the crossword puzzle in the TV Guide. At the time, the highest vocabulary level in the TV Guide was at the 5th-grade level. I was astonished when she held the book up to me and asked, "What's this word?"

I volunteered in the school frequently. After one field trip to watch an Army fire-power demonstration, the teacher put a vocabulary list on the board to help the students write their thank-you letters to the sponsoring command. As I circulated to read what the students were writing, I pointed out a mis-spelling to one boy. He looked up and pointed to the word he had taken from the board. The teacher had misspelled it! As I stood and read the board, I noted that two others were also misspelled.

She was one of the good teachers.

[Reagan Man]

So, am I wrong, or, did President George W. Bush use "strategery" for a long-term goal?
I can't say affirmatively, but it sure looks like it!

May be. I wouldn't try to second guess President Bush, he's too smart and savvy a politician. The libdems continue to underestimate the man and I enjoy watching every minute of it.

[NoControllingLegalAuthority]

Students take responsibility for their own learning when their parents insist they do. Today's parents are not insisting upon that, in many cases. I don't know why many parents don't realize it is their primary job to make sure their children learn to take responsibility for their own lives. A child is neither the plaything of an adult nor a permanent possession but is a future adult who can become either a responsible, self-sufficient citizen or a helpless, ill-equipped dependent of the state.

[Polybius]

"I think it's an admirable concept," said Rosemary Coyle, president of the Connecticut Education Association teachers' union, "but it's not based in reality. When you're going to identify 75 percent of the schools in the state [as failures]. . .what kind of message is that?"

Uhmmm....the truth?

My daughter turned 12 in May. She is a 6th Grader at a private Christian school that was set up by local parents as an alternative to the public schools in our small town. The classes are taught in "previously owned" pre-fab modular buildings that were set up behind a local Church.

Each student at the school takes the Stanford Achievement Test every year. The scores came back last week and my daughter had a "grade equivalency" of "PHS" (Post High School) for every subject except one. What that means is that, for each subject she had a "PHS" on, the average students across America would be high school graduates before they would score as high a grade as my 6th Grade daughter did.

In chatting with a colleague that has a 5th Grader at the same school, it seems that his 5th Grader had a "grade equivalency" score of "PHS" in half of his subjects.

These test results do not mean that my colleague and I have little Einsteins running around the house. These test results mean that American public high schools are teaching at a level that is below the 6th Grade level at our private, parent-run school.

[Free the USA]

Bump list

[2Trievers]

And to extrapolate a bit further ... parents, unwilling to DO THEIR JOB, for whatever reason, foist it all on the schools/teachers to accomplish ... and this is the crux of the problem as I see it. Both entities, need to do their job IMO.

Gardening waits ... CYA &;-)

[avenir]

"The vast majority of schools containing substantial African-American or Latino [populations] will end up failing," Kane said.

Uh, then I guess they'd better get off their cans and start learning...STAT!

"The numbers are so overwhelmingly negative. . .folks may say, `What's the point?' " he said.

Cop out if you want. Won't get you very far outside the fantasyland of public ed, though.

[mafree]

Thanks for the flag. I think the "failures" under the "No Child Left Behind" standards may be used to blame W.

[Common Tator]

I see that it is suddenly dawning on the NEA that they did NOT get what they thought they did

Perhaps they sould take a remedial course in reading the fine print.

There used to be a car salesman in my home town. I was 17 before I found out his first name wasn't "Th*tG*dD*mned" That is what people always said right before his last name. His first name was actually Charlie, and Charlie sold more cars in half a day than most car salesmen do in a week. If you bought a used car from Charlie he always found somthing wrong with the car you were buying that you didn't notice. It could drive like a new Rolls and Charlie would tell you it needed the front tires balanced. Charlie would make that service department "fix it" before Charlie would consent to sell it to you. You didn't feel anything wrong but Charlie did and he got it "fixed" for you by the dealer. It was what the dealer called a sunshine repair. They let the car sit out in the sunshine and the warmth of the sun "fixed" the car.

Then on your trade in Charlie never noticed the transmission that was about to go out. No, he found things that were wrong that were not wrong. He would tell you that was why he couldn't give you more on trade in. And when your argued Charlie would go get the "Mechanic" who always agreed with you. So Charlie would relutantly give you more for your car. A few days after the deal was made, Charlie told you he was mad as heck at you. That danged transmision he didn't notice went out and the Dealer lost his rump on the deal. The boss was all over Charlies case for making you a deal that cost the dealer money.

The dealer he worked for told me charlie typically got 2 to 3 hundred dollars more profit on a car than any of his other salesmen. But the customers always thought Charlie gave them a better deal.

If you have been around the house and the senate muich you will notice that the members rarely actually read bills. Some of them don't even read the bills they "Author". They vote on impressions. Even the leadership often will make major judgements on immpressions.

So when there is a bill a presiddent wants in committee, it is best if a president has people leak to the media that the presidnet is getting screwed big time. Some of the lower level staff who actually have read the bill know the president is getting screwed. But the fact is the top administration big shots don't know they are getting screwed. If you do that well, you can get Democrats to vote for things they later find out they should not have voted for. Many times the devil is in the details. It is in the rules and regulations that the bill authorizes the administration to create and adopt that tell the story.

This may not be the first time that a bill said stuff its suporters didn't quite understand when they supported it.

The education bill is a lot like CFR. It is not nearly as good for the left as they though. The Democrats may very well have just bought an education bill from Charlie.

[Luis Gonzalez]

"Truly, I don't think the bill is that far off of what he campaigned on. Yes, he compromised with Kennedy, but I don't think it is as bad as many have said it is."

"When I began entering into the give and take of legislative bargaining in Sacramento, a lot of the most radical conservatives who had supported me during the election didn't like it. "Compromise" was a dirty word to them and they wouldn't face the fact that we couldn't get all of what we wanted today. They wanted all or nothing and they wanted it all at once. If you don't get it all, some said, don't take anything. "I'd learned while negotiating union contracts that you seldom got everything you asked for. And I agreed with FDR, who said in 1933: 'I have no expectations of making a hit every time I come to bat. What I seek is the highest possible batting average.'"

"If you got seventy-five or eighty percent of what you were asking for, I say, you take it and fight for the rest later, and that's what I told these radical conservatives who never got used to it."

~~ Ronald Reagan, in his autobiography, An American Life

This move by Bush was textbook Reagan.