Repeal The No Child Left Behind Act! - A Call to Action!

Please read the entirety of this post concerning the No Child Left Behind Act to become familiar with the issue.  At the end of the post, there is a "Call to Action" with specific ways you can make a difference.

The "No Child Left Behind Act" is a legalized crime which America has virtually ignored or complained about while still "playing its game."  The time for this victimization of our youth needs to end!  There needs to be no compromise...It must be repealed.  

Introduction:  Before entering the ministry, I was a public school music teacher for 10 years.  I taught in a variety of settings from high-poverty schools to schools that served wealthier areas.  From the onset of the No Child Left Behind Act, the quality and content of education in America has declined.  I have witnessed young children at the point of emotional breakdown due to a test.  Sadly, I was also part of the problem.  As a teacher, I made decisions to support this immoral law in order to move up in the ranks, to keep my job, and to receive good evaluations.  As citizens, Christians, and people concerned about our fellow humans, we are called to take a stand in the face of evil.  Yes, the No Child Left Behind Act is EVIL.  I will provide some background information and details below, and that will be followed by CONCRETE ACTION that we must take.

Abraham Joshua Heschel:

            “Some are guilty; all are responsible.

            

Background: (Source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NCLB)

President George W. Bush proposed the legislation for the No Child Left Behind Act (referred to as NCLB for the remainder of this post).  A Bipartisan group of congressional representatives sponsored the bill:  Rep. John Boehner (R-OH), Rep. George Miller (D-CA), Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH).  The NCLB passed the House of Representatives on May 23 2001 (384-45) and the Senate (91-8) on June 14, 2011.  It was signed into law by Pres. Bush on January 8, 2002.  

The goal of the NCLB was that by 2014 EVERY CHILD will test at or above grade-level.  It does not take a rocket-scientist to know this is impossible.  This means EVERY CHILD, even severely disabled children, are to test at an arbitrarily decided grade level standard.

The NCLB requires standardized testing of all government funded schools each year.  This means that all students must take the same test (by grade level) in the same conditions.  Provisions have been made for students with special needs.

The NCLB also requires Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).  While this sounds positive, here is an example of what it actually means:  The 5th Graders who take the test THIS YEAR must perform BETTER than the 5th Graders of LAST YEAR.  There are NO provisions made for any issues that the students may have (i.e. This year's class may have more special needs than last year's class. The majority of this year's class may have been transferred from a different school, etc.).

The NCLB further requires that each sub-group (any gender/racial/economic group that has 20 or more students AND any Special Education and Limited-English Proficiency group that has 40 or more students) must meet its goal, or the school fails to meet AYP.  For example:  If there are 20 sub-groups, and 1 does not meet its goal, that school DOES NOT meet AYP.

The main focus of the NCLB is Reading, Writing, and Math.  Science is also assessed in some cases.  Because of this mandate, and because of the Economic Recession, 71% of schools have reported lowering the time of instruction given to subjects such as history, foreign language, art, music, physical education in order to give more resources to Math and English (Reading and Writing).  At times, the teachers of these "non-essential" (as defined by the testing mandates of the NCLB) courses are forced to tutor in the tested subjects rather than teach in their area of expertise.  Students who are below expectation in tested subjects are routinely pulled from non-tested classes.  

The NCLB Under the Obama Administration

In September, 2011; President Obama announced that states could have wavers on NCLB requirements.  While this may be a step in the right direction, much more drastic action MUST be taken.  Next I will outline just a few reasons:

Why the NCLB MUST be Repealed - Not Reformed! (10 Reasons - But there are MANY More)

1.  There is a large disparity between the races and economic classes.  72% of African-American children attend high poverty schools.  Less that 25% of these students match up to their Caucasian peers in terms of test proficiency.  This is a RACIST and CLASSIST law promoting Government Sponsored Discrimination. (See Chart 1 and Chart 2 for a visual graphic of this point)

2. Statistically, the "Bell Curve" is a phenomena that should be expected when performing statistically-valid tests upon large populations.  In simple terms, that means that few should be at the very bottom and few should be at the very top with the majority rating in the middle.  Draw the outline of a bell.  The sides are low, but the middle is large.  The NCLB REQUIRES that ALL STUDENTS should be at the "high performing" level.  

3.  In several states, approximately 50% of the schools were ranked as "failing."  The term "failing" is a misnomer and inaccurate (and immoral).  To be considered a "failing school," the school has to not achieve AYP several years in a row.  Therefore, a school with a high population of severely mentally disabled students would be a "failing school" even if every other sub-group reached expected goals each year.

4. More than 1/3 of our nation's schools DID NOT meet AYP guidelines for the 2009-10 school year (that is the most recent data that I found that is available) (See HERE for updates to this statistic as more details arise). The states failing to reach AYP in 2009-10 in at least 25% of schools are:  AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, Washington DC, DE, FL, HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, KY, ME, MA, MN, MS, MO, MT, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NC, OH, OR, SC, VA, VT, WA, WY.  That means almost 66% (counting Washing DC as a "state") did not have at least 25% of their schools reach AYP.  If 66% of America's states do not have at least 25% of their schools meet AYP guidelines, could it be possible that the assessment is flawed and not the schools themselves?

5.  The Arts and Physical Education SHOULD be seen as valuable in their own right, but in order to further my argument, I will use them to show that they enhance education, not detract from it.  There is no question that the Arts, Physical Education, and Sports, play a positive role in lessening school drop-outs, keeping students' interest in school, and promoting school spirit.  Using music alone as an example (though similar benefits can be found in Physical Education, Visual Arts, etc.), one can see that the NCLB robs students of vital educational opportunities.  This Article shows the benefits of studying music. The following famous scientists studied music:  Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Robert Oppenheimer.  Former Chairman of the Federal Reserve Alan Greenspan played clarinet and saxophone and studied at one of the world's most Prestigious Music Schools, Juilliard.  Brian May, Ph.D in astrophysics, who is Chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University in the United Kingdom was lead guitarist for the rock band Queen.

6.  The NCLB is "legalized emotional abuse" on the most delicate children.  Children know when they cannot perform, and when faced with such high stakes testing, those who cannot reach an unattainable goal undergo severe emotional and mental pain, often manifesting as physical sickness.

7.  The NCLB is a "1 Shot" test.  You pass or fail.  Some states allow retakes, but entire lives are at stake based on one test.  The US Government criticizes similar practices in China and did so during the Cold War with the USSR, but our government engages in very similar practices through the NCLB.

8.  Many teachers are leaving the profession because of the NCLB.  I am one of them.  My reason was not solely due the the NCLB because I left teaching to become a minister, but in 10 years of teaching, though I enjoyed teaching the children, the job became more and more unbearable.

9.  Tested goals are based on political wrangling, NOT on educator-approved, researched topics.

10.  The NCLB is based on fear.  I can recall countless meetings as a teacher where we were admonished, told to work harder with less resources, and even yelled at because of a test score. Do other professionals undergo this treatment?  Do other professionals have to buy their own supplies with their own money?  The NCLB is also based on fear for the students.  Many constantly worry whether they are "good enough" or "smart enough."  This leads to emotional breakdowns, stress-induced illnesses, weakened immune systems, and bullying.  All of this is Government Sanctioned.

Solution:

The NCLB must be repealed...not tweaked...not re-imagined...But COMPLETELY REPEALED.  This is not to say there shouldn't be accountability.  Accountability should be demanded of our schools and our teachers (just as in any other profession).  But that accountability must be fair.  Whatever plan for accountability we have should be based on Proven Academic Research.  Rather than a political law, we need an educational law.  Educators (school teachers and administrators, university education professors, educational experts) should have the main say in what goes into the replacement of the NCLB.  That only makes sense.  Why should our government representatives (most of whom only have the qualification that they once went to school) be allowed to dictate educational policy?  I have a bank account...Do I get to be the President of a bank?  Of course not...that's ridiculous.  As citizens, as Christians, as moral people, we have the duty to demand our legislators and president to repeal this law and then engage in non-partisan discussion with people who know about the art and science of teaching and learning in order to draft a new accountability law.

A Call To Action:

Humans CANNOT look evil in the eye and not identify it for what it is.  There is no redeeming quality of the NCLB.  Therefore, I propose that anyone who reads this take the following actions:

1.  Write a letter or e mail to your legislators and the president.  You can find their contact information here:  Congress     President

(If you do not want to write your own letter, please COPY AND PASTE the following letter and fill in the blanks as necessary) (If you do not want to use your own e mail, create a free account in one of these places: Yahoo, Hotmail, Gmail)

Dear ___________________________:

I am writing to you concerning the No Child Left Behind Act.  Since President Bush signed the NCLB into law in 2002, our nation's schools have suffered greatly.

Mere children are forced to take a high stakes test which leads to great anxiety and worry.  Teachers and School administrators are chastised based on unattainable test results.  Subjects such as art, music, physical education, history, and others have been slashed.  And, the measuring criteria are not adequate indicators of student learning.  In fact, in 2009, 66% of our states (including Washington DC as a "state") did not have at least 25% of their schools meet Adequate Yearly Progress.  This indicates that there is a fundamental flaw with this law.

The NCLB needs to be completely repealed.  Tweaking, adjusting, and offering waivers does not go far enough.  The NCLB must be repealed and replaced by a reliable and statistically valid system of accountability based on current research in the field of education.  Educators must be part of the process in writing a new law.

Please take this request seriously as today's children are tomorrow's leaders!  Repeal and Replace the NCLB!

Sincerely,

______________________________


2.  Inform friends and family of this information about the NCLB and other resources you may find.  Encourage them to write to or e mail their representatives and the president.


3.  Daily, pray the following Prayer(s)

46.  For the Care of Children (From the Book of Common Prayer)

Almighty God, heavenly Father, you have blessed us with the

joy and care of children: Give us calm strength and patient

wisdom as we bring them up, that we may teach them to love

whatever is just and true and good, following the example of

our Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.

47.  For Young Persons (From the Book of Common Prayer)

God our Father, you see your children growing up in an

unsteady and confusing world: Show them that your ways

give more life than the ways of the world, and that following

you is better than chasing after selfish goals. Help them to

take failure, not as a measure of their worth, but as a chance

for a new start. Give them strength to hold their faith in you,

and to keep alive their joy in your creation; through Jesus

Christ our Lord.  Amen.

22.  For Sound Government (From the Book of Common Prayer)

The responses in italics may be omitted.

O Lord our Governor, bless the leaders of our land, that we

may be a people at peace among ourselves and a blessing to

other nations of the earth.

Lord, keep this nation under your care.

To the President and members of the Cabinet, to Governors

of States, Mayors of Cities, and to all in administrative

authority, grant wisdom and grace in the exercise of their

duties.

Give grace to your servants, O Lord.

To Senators and Representatives, and those who make our

laws in States, Cities, and Towns, give courage, wisdom, and

foresight to provide for the needs of all our people, and to

fulfill our obligations in the community of nations.
Give grace to your servants, O Lord.

To the Judges and officers of our Courts give understanding

and integrity, that human rights may be safeguarded and

justice served.

Give grace to your servants, O Lord.

And finally, teach our people to rely on your strength and to

accept their responsibilities to their fellow citizens, that they

may elect trustworthy leaders and make wise decisions for

the well‑being of our society; that we may serve you

faithfully in our generation and honor your holy Name.

For yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as

head above all.  Amen.

4.  Keep Faith, Love, Joy, Peace, and Hope alive.  Working for this cause will not be easy.  We will lose before we win.  Keep the faith that God will convict the hearts and minds of those in power to make a change for the betterment of our society and our children.

5.  Stay educated on this topic!  Encourage others to do the same.  Encourage others to take action.  If you know of an action to take, make it known!