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  david_nwpa1 year, 3 months ago

  This is an excellent review of how the NCLB is essentially holding a sword above the teachers' heads. Either perform and get those test scores up, or lose your jobs and your profession. Those teachers who do little more than handout exercises, collect them, grade them, and little else, probably should be in other professions. Those qualified teachers who develop inventive lessons which engage students and keep them motivated should be honored for their dedication to the profession. However, the decisions about whom to keep and whom to discard should not be made based on the results of a few standardized tests.

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    bruhaha1 year, 3 months ago

    NCLB, in my mind, is nothing more than a preliminary effort to privatize education.

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      david_nwpa1 year, 3 months ago

      Right, and privatization of education is not the answer. Schools have worked well enough to provide the generations that exist today. We must spend more time and energy, though not necessarily much more money to train and aide teachers. I am in my third year of teaching, and I know that many young teachers need more guidance and training before entering the classroom.

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        bruhaha1 year, 3 months ago

        The problem with privatization.

        Vouchers will take the money from public schools. Private schools may see this as an opportunity to raise tuition so only the people who could afford to go to private school in the first place will still be able to afford it.

        And for the schools that don't raise tuition, where do they put all the students. You may have a great school, but overcrowding can severely hamper classroom learning.

        Those who can't afford it are forced to attend even more poorly underfunded public schools leading to even worse education.

        And not to mention private corporations starting schools, whose only real goal is to turn a profit

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      marlenebomer1 year, 3 months ago

      My theory is that NCLB was designed to specifically force public schools to close, and with it and the faith-based initiative of school vouchers, give the money to Christian schools so they can take the public schools over, thus furthering the neocon/dominionist goal of a theocratic America.

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        bruhaha1 year, 3 months ago

        Not even necessarily Christian schools. I heard, somewhere a while back, about people waiting hoping for the chance to start up for-profit private schools when vouchers become available. The schools won't teach our children any better, but at least someone will make a profit, right?

        And of course, to make a profit, wages will likely be lower and you'll likely have fewer good, qualified teachers. But regulations on the private schools will likely be lower because, God knows, we can't regulate private industry, corporations, etc

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  rwrnae1 year, 3 months ago

  Do you really think we care about you, your inner city losers or your starry eyed idealistic young teachers? Cut off the kids mommies welfare checks and let them starve. then maybe their mommies will quit popping them out.

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  ladylou41 year, 3 months ago

  Kozol's fast is a dramatic way to draw attention to some problems that eventually affect all of us. The school is the community. Listen closely and believe the reality of Kozol's descriptions. All children can learn. Tests are just one part of the learning process. Probably, at least one time in our life each of us had a teacher who stood out and inspired our learning. What qualities did that teacher have that made you want to learn more? Sparking a child's imagination through music, art, movement, social activities, classic literature, puzzles, games, experiments, organizational tools, and tons of questions should be the main focus - not whether the kids are practicing their test-taking skills and tests for the NCLB agenda.

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  cdillon231 year, 3 months ago

  I think its outrageous to believe that any child could thrive under these conditions, what happened to being an individual with creative outlets? I feel for those poor teachers too, they have alot on thier plates. as for bringing back the paddle, anyone paddles my kid they will be sorry, the three R's I agree with. I hate to say, there is a lot of bad stereotypes and generalities being passed around in some of these comments. Maybe if we let kids use thier natural sense of discovery they will be more interested in learning.

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  Radiofreeeuropa1 year, 3 months ago

  Teaching to a test fails to teach a shred of critical thinking. Testing skills are but a small piece in a giant jigsaw puzzle. N.J. schools ranked and continue to rank among the very best in the nation but we were forced to adapt the methodology of the Texas public school system which are ranked 25th (out of 50 states) While N.J. is 4th. And who profits off the materials needed and the books that need to be bought? Bank Robber Neil Bush for one! A review of school district documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act found that educators and legal experts questioned whether Bush's products were worth their cost or even qualified under the No Child law. The portable learning centers Bush's company sells at 3,700 dollars apiece resemble cows on wheels. Most of the business has been obtained through sole-source contracts without competitive bidding. Neil Bush has been directly involved in marketing the product.

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    Radiofreeeuropa1 year, 3 months ago

    In addition to federal or state funds, foundations and corporations have placed these cows in classrooms. The Washington Times Foundation, backed by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, head of the South Korea-based Unification Church, has peppered classrooms throughout Virginia with Ignite's COWs under a $1-million grant.

    Oil companies and Middle East interests with long political ties to the Bush family have made similar bequests. Aramco Services Co., an arm of the Saudi-owned oil company, has donated COWs to schools, as have Apache Corp., BP and Shell Oil Co.

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      ladylou41 year, 3 months ago

      "The Washington Times Foundation, backed by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, head of the South Korea-based Unification Church, has peppered classrooms throughout Virginia with Ignite's COWs under a $1-million grant."

      When it comes to purchasing the volumes of new classroom materials, one only has to follow a money trail to discover some facts like these. "Reading First," a program disguised by Title I funds comes to mind.

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    marlenebomer1 year, 3 months ago

    Ah.... critical thinking leads to not only an open mind, but the ability to question, which is what the neocons do NOT want, RFE!

    They *want* sheeple to lead by the nose and be cannon fodder for the next Great War or to me in the mob screaming for blood at the show trial of an "enemy" of the state.

    I swear the neocons are acting more and more like the totalitarian despots like Stalin and Lenin they railed against back in the cold war!

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  ladylou41 year, 3 months ago

  cdillon23 said, "Maybe if we let kids use thier natural sense of discovery they will be more interested in learning."

  The discovery method is always a fantastic strategy to get kids actively involved. Some kids even discover how to use grammar and spellcheckers on their own.

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  Radiofreeeuropa1 year, 3 months ago

  Anyone who has ever taught knows that a singular method will not work for every student. Students are individuals and some learn visually while others learn by auditory sources and still others learn by tactile or hands on experiences. Even these generalizations are inadequate to teach the average class today. To think that there is one way that must be followed is absurd. I don't know of a single teacher who actually believes this is a good policy.

  Not one. What it has done is made districts try to dump kids who had trouble with the testing into other programs or schools (this outcome seems obvious). The law has distracted teachers from teaching.

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  Harbeas1 year, 3 months ago

  Another government program that was not clearly thought out before it became law.

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  Truzseeker1 year, 3 months ago

  Thank you Radio, its the critical thinking skills that are no longer taught in Amerika, just feed the overweight, obese and dumb down kids enough information to make them slaves for the rest of their lives controlled and manipulated by intentional misrepresentations with intended consequences. Yes before you shills start voting this comment down, there is plenty of information and books written on this subject. I invite the same shills to provide value added information if you believe that is not what is happening in this country...be my guest.

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