Sweeping Overhaul To No Child Left Behind Act

October 5, 2011 1:26 AM

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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Since Congress has not acted to change the No Child Left Behind Act, a carryover from the Bush era, in a radical overhaul the Obama administration will alter the requirements of the law giving states freedom to seek waivers, re-work their achievement goals and focus energy on about 5,000 of the most troubled schools.

The blueprint calls for states to adopt new performance standards so that students are ready for college and careers by graduation replacing the current, unrealistic deadline that all students would reach academic proficiency by 2014.

Developing more rigorous and effective ways of evaluating teachers and designing new accountability systems, and a shift to measuring student growth, regardless of the performance level at which they started, are part of the plan.

While some teachers unions and Republican lawmakers have signaled dislike of various
parts, there is no question that removing the sanctions against schools not making AYP, adequate yearly progress, is welcomed by all groups. Read more in The New York Times.

Reported By Dr. Marciene Mattleman, KYW Newsradio

Sweeping Overhaul To No Child Left Behind Act

ruforeal

What is a tuition waiver? is this for public or private school? that was mentioned in a previous post?
Steve Lester

On a missionary trip to Uganda in 2001, I saw 10, 11 and 12 year-old students performing at a level that would easily challenge our high school juniors and seniors. There were no computers and there was only 1 teacher for the 40+ students. Plus the parents PAID the school fees (tuition).

We’ve got the gadgets, but have lowered the standards. NCLB is what I see as an effort to restore the benchmarks that made us a great nation. Lowering the standards simply pushes the systemic problem down the road.

But no educational system can succeed without parental participation.

CC

in Uganda i bet you didn’t see children running up and down the aisle, talking while the teacher is teaching. walking out of the classroom without asking. i imagine every child there was interested in learning and if a child got out of line they were dismissed from school permanently. in a school in NE Philly you have two 19 year olds beating a teacher severly because he caught them stealing. that’s where “no child left behind” has gotten us. punk adult criminals still in school. as impoverished as Uganda is, i doubt this sort of thing was tolerated in a classroom. we need reform schools for those under 18 that are disruptive, so the students and teachers can work in a atmospher where they aren’t afraid.

Kilburn Hall

No child left behind never did work. It punished poor school systems in New Mexico which could not afford to attract teachers due to the low pay while rewarding wealthy school systems who paid kindergarden teachers $86,000 per year. The public school system in America has been broken since the 1980′s when I taught in the public schools. What is needed is a complete overhaul of the public school system offering tuition waivers, government sponsoring new charter schools and entirely new curriculum which partners with companies like NASA, APPLE, MICROSOFT. Also, we need to bring back the concept of vocational high schools. Why does every high school student need a LIberal Arts education if their goal is to be in construction, auto mechanics, nursing etc. We must realistically prepare our youngsters for the professions they choose and oput an end to dogma. Our founding fathers had a system of apprenticeship, cabndle stick makers, printers. WE need to bring back that system as well. But a total overhaul is called for as is making it easier for new grads to become teachers without all the beauracracy.
fran smith

how about parents taking some responsibility. my mother used to work with me on spelling and math after school. when i had children, i did the same. my 2 boys needed help but my 2 girls did not . the teachers can’t do it all, parents need to help. with computers now kids can learn and take tests. the ones that need extra help, should have to stay for an extra class. i remember when i went to school there were the smart kids and then there were those that were not as smart. i would say i was in the middle. we have those today who can’t even talk decent let alone write, spell and read. they are not corrected because certain people think it is cool to talk in an ignorant manner instead of talking correct english.
CC

HAS ANYONE NOTICED THE CITY IS DOWNSIZING THE SCHOOLS FOR LACK OF STUDENTS? This is happening. why is it happening. because of “no child left behind” everyone on this board that complained their child hasn’t learned what they are supposed to or do nothing but art work. have you gone to sit in on a class with your child? i have because mine wasn’t learning or even staying in the class. OMG…when i sat in there i could see why. there are kids in there that are so out of control, defiant. won’t shut up and listen to the teacher that the teacher just talked over them, even i couldn’t pay attention for what was going on. The school upper mgmt. won’t back the teachers on discipline, the parents of the offenders cry foul when the kid is suspended (there goes their free babysitter for the day). when i was in school they shipped kids off that disrupted to a “special” school. it’s about time to do that again. lets face it…some kids have to be left behind so not all of them are in the same sinking boat. LEAVE THEM BEHIND …FLUNK THEM…DO SOMETHING TO WEED THEM OUT BEFORE EVERYONE SUFFERS.
chuck

The 3rd graders in this country require to learn multiplication. The 3rd graders in other countries such as India, China, Japan or Korea are learning Fraction.
angel

If they (the goverment) is so worried about children being left behind, they need to come up with some tutoring that isn’t $300 or more every 2 weeks. There are to many students to one teacher they can not get the attention they need to make sure they understand what they are learning before going on to the next math lesson (for example). When I was in school it was simple. The math was not so confusing just to subtract and barrow from another number. To add the two numbers together and not take adding those two numbers to a whole nother level. We need to get back to the way it was. about the student. There are too many steps in handling the basic math problems today. I don’t like having to send all these school supplies my children will never use because the goverment doesn’t know how to spend wisely. Keep school on a normal level save the confusing stuff for college.

CC

actually, back when my mother was in school in the 1940′s the younger grades were given algebra. we’ve been dumbing down since then so no child gets left behind. sad thing to lower the standards instead of raising the child up to meet the goal

Barbara

I’M TIRED OF PAYING FOR KIDS THAT AREN’T MINE! ILLEGAL KIDS!
OUR TAX DOLLARS are being stretched to the limit to cover meals, books, etc. for kids who aren’t even legal in this country. SICK OF IT!

Stu

Good to know where your priorities are. Its not like Education befits the entire world or anything like that. That maybe that child will possibly help the community, because its not like children with out a high school diploma are 8 times more likely to go to prison and become someone one well fare. and also that we are not a country founded on illegal immigrants. and also i am sorry that all that money is being thrown away at kids, its a shame that its not put more into an amount already 4 times larger being spent on defense and two wars that adults caused. yes lets just forget about the children. Thats our values

Winded1

You should be sorry for sucking this country dry. You should be sorry for not having a backbone and dealing with your own country.. And excuse me so smart this country was not founded by illegal immigrants it was colonized ie settled. Talk to the French about the Indians. 400 years of family residing in this country makes me an american CITIZEN not an immigrant. And I’ll say it don’t have children YOU can’t feed MORON. I now confront people with carts of food who whip out the free foodstamp card. I have no problem shaming some twit who comes here and pops out ten kids they can’t feed. I’m tired of having to feed my family on 100 per 2wks. Leave Leave Leacve!!!!!!!!!!!! No bodty here owes you shat and the lil bleeding hearts who say we’re all immigrants well lets just say they changed their minds BYEBYE

Steve

Hey Barbara – one day, one of these kids that aren’t yours are going to be fixing your brakes, changing your IV in the hospital, or filling your prescription at the pharmacy. Our services: police, fire department, roads, and even our social security depends on a strong economy and a solid tax base supported by competetively educated workers. United we stand, divided we fall. No person is an island. Cheers!
Rose

If you really care, tell your kids to stop smoking marijuana/weed/kush because half of it comes from where these kids and family are coming from (Mexico, 30000+ dead over drug war, death by strangling, decapitaiton, torture, etc).

Kathy

MY GRAND CHILDREN study in classrooms in which the walls are covered with ART WORK. I mean covered. AND their ‘learning’ folders are empty. Their spelling goes uncorrected. At 10- years old, my grandson still can barely put a correct sentence together. Granted, this is 3rd grade, BUT, JUST HOW MANY turkey feather hats do they need???
Mari Arababi

I once asked a principal of my son’s school if he knew about the drugs that were being sold on school grounds. He said he “could not get involved in that. It might worry the parents if he brought attention to it.” I was in shock!
ACMB New York

No child left behind means all children are raised to be mediocre slow paced non- achievers. Imagine a marching platoon, the whole group is made to step in cadence to the slow beat so the rear can catch up. What about those whose minds absorb faster and understands more? No wonder the whole world is surpassing America’s ability in reading, math and sciences.

donna

My daughter was in the special ed department for all her school years. She has learning disabilities in reading and a lot of short term memories deficiencies. When no child left behind started, she got extra one on one attention, they worked to catch her up. within a couple of years it became give her a pass or fail grade no letters. And push her on from year to year. Now my niece is in school with LD.the other day she is here after school and I tell her to do her homework, offer to help. First problem she can’t work easily, she starts putting her stuff away. I tell her no, and her words are…Don’t worry, because No child left bedhind, they can’t fail me! In 10 years this is what the program has become?

frustrated teacher

It’s nice to see that your daughter received such a great education. Unforunately Gov. Corbett cut tons of money from education and we are not only losing aides and one-on-ones, but teachers as well. In my school we had three second grade classrooms and we just lost another teacher due to budget cuts so the two remaining second grade classrooms are going up 35 students in each class. We are leaving tons of students behind with the policy and with politicians who could care less about the children .

Tallulah Cusati

I hope this will reall help students, who have been left behind, when they ask someone,(teachers), for help. They have been ignored to long.
Dave

this is the worst, my grandson should have been left behing in the 6th or 7th, or 8th or 9th or 10th, now in the 11th, he can multiply , add or devide, can’t read very well but is in the same class as kids that can, they harrass him because he doesn’t understand, and as a result he gets D and F’s, thanks to the people that know whats best, I wanted my daughter to hold him back, but the school was so worried about his self esteme, give me a break, I think understand is better than self esteme.

sue

Have a son in the same boat. He does not want to even go to school anymore…. Talk about a child being left behind…..
say

Studies have proven that retention does not work. A child who struggled in say 6th grade is still going to struggle the next year in 6th grade with the same material. Identify the child as having a problem and deal with the problem, at home and school. It is time for us to take responsibility and quit blaming others for the school problems. I am a teacher and I have seen teachers blame students, students blame teachers, parents blame teachers, administration blame parents teachers and students. Education begins at home. Teach children that school is important and to always do your very best.

Winded1

I agree when I was a child I was expected to do my homework before any kind of activity. My parents held me accountable for our grades etc.. Parents today have failed to realize that school is for educating their child. Its more of a social venue. Its our fault generation X has taught their children that its ok to be uneducated someobody else will take care of them. Americans haven’t had any personal accountability in decades. No child left behind was not meant to be a free pass and you know it. Don’t you???

Bill

No child left behind is terrible. As a Texas teacher for over 25 years, I have been under this system, along with others like it. The only purpose of NCLB is to placte the parents. To make them feel good about thier schools and children. We must teach to the testl Classrooms have become like factories. There is no more creativity or spontaneous discussion of an issue.
Expecting alll students to advance at the same rate is like expecting all graduating seniors will be the same height and weight.
1605

Sorry. that should be “cookie cutter” robots. Finger slipped
1605

It is about someone realized the worst program ever put into place regarding education is the “no child left behind”. The whole concept demands cheating. When did anyone decide that all children are of equal status when it comes to learning, growing, maturing, etc. Some will excel, some will fail, most are someone in the middle. At that point, we teach to the lowest common denominator. If the smartest are unable to make it on their own, they will fall into the next category. We are so concerned that the children are not allowed to feel inferior to anyone else we try to make them into “cookie cutter” robets.