"I could go on and on about No Child Left Behind and what my concerns are with it," Stephens said. "Basically, in a nutshell, is that it's bad legislation for kids. The reason for that is you look across the benchmark years and you see what the benchmarks are going up to 100 percent by 2014, that's just not realistic … My philosophy and this is what I communicate to the principals and what I want to communicate to the teachers is "If you disregard those yearly benchmarks and just look at how we've grown each year, that's what we look at." What matters is that every year we're getting closer and closer. On the state level we're performing with distinction and I think that's significant."
Nevada's total numbers met the goals set, however, two sub-groups, students eligible for free and reduced price lunch or students with Individualized Education Plans, did not meet the goals. Stephens said that more than 50 percent of Missouri schools were in the same category, and that number was expected to grow each year the NCLB requirements were raised.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Nevada superintendent: No Child Left Behind is unrealistic
Nevada R-5 Superintendent Dr. David Stephens said what everyone in education and most people who are not in education (with the notable exception of pandering politicians) think about No Child Left Behind- it simply is not working and will not work:
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3 comments:
God forbid that teachers and schools in general should shoot for the top...for perfection....don't want to set those goals too high...so-so is good enough!
bear down, educators, expect the best from your kids...don't try to entertain them and be their friends...be their leader and seek perfection
Educators can always improve, just like those in other fields, but No Child Left Behind has little going for it. Teachers do have high expectations for the students, but under No Child Left Behind, a student who works his way from an F to a C is still considered a failure. The goal of having 100 percent of students proficient by 2014 is impossible as anyone with common sense can see. Teachers and administrators have no control over what goes on beyond the schoolhouse doors. We can't account for children whose parents do not care, children who are having to go through physical, sexual, or emotional abuse at home, and there are those students who simply don't care, and no amount of motivation will have any effect on them whatsoever. No Child Left Behind also says that special education students and students who do not speak English as their primary language have to be proficient. I am tired of hearing about these studies, all of which are comparing apples and oranges, which tell us how badly the United States is doing in math or science or reading compared to other countries. The United States public education system is the only one in the world designed to educate all children, and instead of being proud of that fact and continuing to build on it, we let people like the charlatans who created No Child Left Behind use the scores of children who would not even be educated in other countries as an indictment of our educational system.
And in doing that, they fail to mention the incredible number of children who have succeeded in the U. S. despite having to face poverty, physical and emotional problems, and many times having no support system in the home.
There is room for improvement in education, but the wide majority of public schools are properly educating children despite, not because of, No Child Left Behind.
First poster, you got to be kidding right? You really expect educrats to be accountable and measureable? What are you smoking?
And then, then, think Randy is going to concur since he is part of the problem?
Of course they, educrats of all sizes, shapes and colors, don't want to have to explain why there was even a need to have NCLB in the first place. They would have to address their failures.
They had/have gotten pretty good at blaming others. You know, not enough funding, no air conditioning. etc etc. Everything but why they have failed to educate our children and NCLB was even deemed necessary. Don't forget it is the brainchild of liberal of liberals, Ted Kennedy.
Give me a break.
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