NCLB dismantling public school system

Yes, the federal mandate “No Child Left Behind” is working. It has accomplished its goal of slowly dismantling public schools, and restructuring public schools by setting up unrealistic expectations for failure, not success. The federal government has consummated this by creating a law that “one system fixes all.” With this idea, public schools have not been able to get out from under this flawed, unfair and demoralizing mandate.

Real and actual cases are taking public schools down. First, I read an article from a nationally syndicated writer that expressed a “less than favorable” view of public schools. A father of an exceptionally gifted child was struggling to keep her engaged in school. The columnist made some appropriate suggestions. However, one suggestion was to find a “more academically rigorous charter or private school.”

Well, of course, public schools are not the academically rigorous places of learning they once were. We are being forced to teach to the “bubble” students (those in the lower/middle range) to get the biggest bang for our bucks on test scores to reach benchmarks. This epidemic of “dumbing down” has families leaving public schools, and is starting to create a student population of the “haves and have nots!”

Second, we have public schools that have not met A.Y.P. (adequate yearly progress). If it is a Title 1 school, (a federally funded school for low-income students) and it reaches level 5, restructuring beings to take place. How demoralizing would it be to lose a community school? Instead of this kind of punitive action, the federal government should be doing quite the opposite — providing more resources and support to those schools and students.

We know those staffs (at whatever level) not making A.Y.P. are working as hard as possible in trying to reach that benchmark with their students. Teachers do not walk into their classrooms day after day and say, “We are not going to teach today!” The “playing field” (of students) is not equal. Obviously, all schools have their own particular populations, and we teach them from where they enter, which can be very different from school to school across the district!

The unfairness does not stop there. All of our secondary schools have to meet a graduation rate. At first glance, one may say, that seems fair and even expected. But, we have one secondary school that in reality is the “Youth Facility” or, or a more accurate name, jail, for youth offenders. Now, graduation rate in jail? Why in God’s name would you want a young person to stay in jail long enough to graduate from high school? That is just plain wrong! Don’t we want them to have learned from their mistakes (and I know I have made my share, but by the grace of God …) get out of jail, and get reconnected into the mainstream of life! I for one, hope and pray, no one stays long enough to graduate from high school while in jail! What were they thinking?

Finally, I believe a new focus and change is necessary to not leave thousands of children behind. Each state should be allowed to develop its own educational goals for their own student populations, like alternative school programs, technical and vocational schools, or cyberschools. But, more importantly, we need more resources for more teachers, and fewer students in the classroom. This would allow teachers to develop and teach “differentiated learning” for all levels of students. We need more resources for students not in attendance. Bottom line: students have to be in their desk to learn.

Also, follow up, and track those students who have dropped out, and provide them whatever it takes to get them back into school, or at least job training. Do we want to put our money up front, (early education programs, small class size, and valuable, needed resources) or play catch up with unemployment, welfare, and yes, jail? We need to do things differently to get different results!

So, do we want N.C.L.B. to continue “working” and dismantle public schools by creating unrealistic expectations that are unfair to our students, staffs and their communities? True education only exists if we can teach every child, at any level, and move them along their learning trajectory to be successful in life. We need to be responsible and fair to all students.

Michael P. Carson is a 32-year veteran public school teacher. He lives in Palmer.