Say no to waivers for NCLB

To the editor:

I do not support state waivers to No Child Left Behind, or NCLB. The purpose of this act was to provide additional funding to schools with accountability for student learning. After 10 years of increased federal funding to public schools, achievement gaps remain between the races.

Alaska has not eliminated achievement gaps between white students and other races. Fifty three percent of Alaska public schools did not make adequate yearly progress after 10 years of increased funding. Many small rural schools are not included in this calculation, and if they were; then the percentage of critical failures would be much higher than reported.

NCLB requires schools to gather data on achievement gaps, study that data, and then make changes to curriculum and instruction that improves student learning for all races. All students can learn! I do not blame the students and the parents. Schools should be required to provide more than a mere opportunity to learn. Schools should be held accountable for student learning. Public schools demanded and received more money from the federal government, but nothing has really changed in the past decade. If states are provided waivers to NCLB, then federal funding should be rolled back to 2002 levels.

Real and long lasting achievement gaps are a real disparate impact of failed educational policy including curriculum and teaching. Parents and students should have legal recourse in this area. Educational attainment is linked to future economic success so why have school boards and our own state board of education allowed known achievement gaps to persist for more than a decade with no end in sight.

We can do better and we can improve. Let’s stop the blame game and fix the problem. Waivers are not solution. Hard work is the answer and we will all need to work together with a keen focus on what is best for our students.

The purpose of NCLB was to close achievement gaps with accountability, choice and flexibility so that no child is left behind. How many children have been left behind in the past 10 years? How many children have not graduated from high school in the last 10 years? NCLB is a good law and it was a result of bipartisan efforts to improve student learning for every student regardless of race.

Bob Doyle

Wasilla