Submitted by Liz (not verified) on September 18, 2007 - 21:00.
It is not helpful to attack the ideas of others and then refuse to consider alternate views on an issue. I don't see anyone saying that NCLB couldn't benefit American Education. I do see a lot of people thinking about how it could be improved to better serve our kids.
I have to disagree with the statement "teachers closed their doors and taught whatever they wanted." Did you observe this happening on a widespread level? There will always be some "bad" teachers, as there are "bad" cops, "bad" lawyers, etc. However, I have observed that most teachers have been working very hard to infuse the curriculum with rich, meaningful connections to the lives of their students long before NCLB. The freedom that allows these very talented and creative educators to make learning authentic and meaningful to kids is being sucked out of schools. Testing, test prep, and rigid and often inappropriate standards are taking the place of authentic learning experiences more and more. As an art teacher, I am luckily still given great freedom and little accountability. I STILL concientiously cover the District, State, and National standards, and am free to collaborate with classroom teachers to create interdisciplinary units that kids become passionate about. If I were forced to adhere to incessant standards, I would never be able to give the kids the quality of education I can and do provide right now, just because I am driven to do so. And I am not alone. All of the music and art educators in my district hold themselves to high standards and constantly redesign and refine curriculum in order to give kids the best arts education we can. And all without the pressure and threats of standardized testing. I am not saying that I believe schools and teachers should not be held accountable. I can say that NCLB is not effectively working to improve teaching or schools across the nation. Assessing and comparing teachers and schools is a very complex undertaking, as there are so many factors that affect how successful students within a school will be, i.e. socioeconomic background of students, support at home, early childhood experiences, etc. The use of standardized test scores is oversimplifying the complex factors that create their results.
I am also not saying that testing is always a negative thing. Teachers need to know where their students are and where they need more help. The problem right now is that a huge priority and allocation of time in the American classroom is preparing for standardized tests. It is as if we have American students studying the CLIF's notes instead of reading the book. This is doing a huge disservice to our children! Tests should be used as indicators of individual students' needs, so that teachers can provide more instruction to fill the holes. They should not be used to threaten and pressure students, teachers, and schools. It is really almost impossible to accurately measure how much learning is occurring in schools. Do we really want every American school to teach exactly the same cookie cutter way? We are assessing schools as if we do. This is innappropriate and absurd. Part of what makes our great country our great country is the diversity we hold so dear. NCLB unfortunately diminishes this diversity. We need to work to reform these flaws so that NCLB can accomplish it's namesake.
It is not helpful to attack
Submitted by Liz (not verified) on September 18, 2007 - 21:00.
It is not helpful to attack the ideas of others and then refuse to consider alternate views on an issue. I don't see anyone saying that NCLB couldn't benefit American Education. I do see a lot of people thinking about how it could be improved to better serve our kids.
I have to disagree with the statement "teachers closed their doors and taught whatever they wanted." Did you observe this happening on a widespread level? There will always be some "bad" teachers, as there are "bad" cops, "bad" lawyers, etc. However, I have observed that most teachers have been working very hard to infuse the curriculum with rich, meaningful connections to the lives of their students long before NCLB. The freedom that allows these very talented and creative educators to make learning authentic and meaningful to kids is being sucked out of schools. Testing, test prep, and rigid and often inappropriate standards are taking the place of authentic learning experiences more and more. As an art teacher, I am luckily still given great freedom and little accountability. I STILL concientiously cover the District, State, and National standards, and am free to collaborate with classroom teachers to create interdisciplinary units that kids become passionate about. If I were forced to adhere to incessant standards, I would never be able to give the kids the quality of education I can and do provide right now, just because I am driven to do so. And I am not alone. All of the music and art educators in my district hold themselves to high standards and constantly redesign and refine curriculum in order to give kids the best arts education we can. And all without the pressure and threats of standardized testing. I am not saying that I believe schools and teachers should not be held accountable. I can say that NCLB is not effectively working to improve teaching or schools across the nation. Assessing and comparing teachers and schools is a very complex undertaking, as there are so many factors that affect how successful students within a school will be, i.e. socioeconomic background of students, support at home, early childhood experiences, etc. The use of standardized test scores is oversimplifying the complex factors that create their results.
I am also not saying that testing is always a negative thing. Teachers need to know where their students are and where they need more help. The problem right now is that a huge priority and allocation of time in the American classroom is preparing for standardized tests. It is as if we have American students studying the CLIF's notes instead of reading the book. This is doing a huge disservice to our children! Tests should be used as indicators of individual students' needs, so that teachers can provide more instruction to fill the holes. They should not be used to threaten and pressure students, teachers, and schools. It is really almost impossible to accurately measure how much learning is occurring in schools. Do we really want every American school to teach exactly the same cookie cutter way? We are assessing schools as if we do. This is innappropriate and absurd. Part of what makes our great country our great country is the diversity we hold so dear. NCLB unfortunately diminishes this diversity. We need to work to reform these flaws so that NCLB can accomplish it's namesake.