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The President
sold some of the American people on the idea that
he was going to save public education through
ãNo Child Left Behind (NCLB).ä We were told that
educational standards would be raised for all
children and that as a result, we would rid ourselves
of the ãlow expectations of subtle bigotry.ä Well,
the reality is that things are worsening and educators
are feeling pressure to push students out in an
effort to improve their test scores-- the alleged
measurement of achievement.
Few people have awakened to the damage likely
to result from the Bush Administrationâs current
approach to school reform. While the proponents
of NCLB like to claim that its strategies are
based on sound scientific evidence, that claim
collapses under scrutiny. For a preview of the
damage coming to our schools and our children,
take a look at recent developments in Florida
Well, a single high-stakes test score is now determining
the future of Florida's children. This past year
alone, 43,000 third graders were not promoted
and 12,000 seniors did not graduate because they
didnât pass the Florida Comprehensive Assessment
Test (FCAT). It didnât matter what their grade
point average was, all that matter was a single
test. Imagine the trauma and long lasting effects
of being nine years old and told ãYOU FAILED!ä
Then a Miami Herald story (ãPrincipal Targeted
Low-score Students,ä July 2, 2003), revealed that
a local school principal sent a memo to the faculty
that provided a list of students who resided outside
the schoolâs zone and who are frequently tardy,
absent, inattentive, behavior problems, or do
not finish assignments. She stated ãthese are
the students we got to get outta hereä because
they are bring down the schoolâs test scores.
So much for trying to educate.
Recently, I received a copy of a letter from T.H.
Robinson High School (the schoolâs tagline is
ãPride through Excellenceä) in Tampa, Florida,
that was provided to parents of ãunsuccessful
students.ä The letter informed them that a review
of academic and attendance records indicates that
their child has been ãunsuccessfulä and suggests
that they consider alternative educational opportunities.
Apparently, the packet enclosures contained information
about ãcareer schools,ä GED programs, adult schools,
and Job Corps. The letter gives the parents an
ultimatum: choose one of these options or your
child will be considered for ãadministrative withdrawal.ä
The letter fails to mention that these ãoptionsä
lead to diplomas and certificates that are not
accepted by four-year universities in the State.
It is also important to note that ãadministrative
withdrawalä does not count as a ãdrop out,ä thus
allowing the school district to misrepresent the
numbers by pushing students out of school, without
accounting for them.
Speaking of fudging the numbers --Houston and
New York have both allegedly engaged in ãfuzzy
math,ä masking the fact that thousands of children
are being left behind. In Houston, the birthplace
of the new accountability model, a state audit
caught Houston inaccurately reporting its dropout
rates. More than half of the 5,500 students who
left in 2000-01 should have been counted as dropouts.
Houston reported only a 1.5 percent dropout rate.
More recently, it has been revealed that some
high schools in Houston were playing a smoke and
mirrors game by reporting inflated numbers of
students who planned to attend college. Some claim
these numbers may attract academically-driven
students to these schools.
In New York, the dropout rate has been reported
at about 20 percent but when ãpush-outsä (administrative
categories used to hide some dropouts) are included
the number reaches 25 to 30 percent. Unfortunately,
the students the system elects to ãpush-out,ä
like those in Tampa, and many other places, are
being counseled to leave.
We are witnessing a set of strategies that can
inflict significant damage on children and their
families - strategies that are unsupported by
credible evidence of their value and efficacy.
Students become better readers, thinkers and performers
when teachers intervene to increase their capacities.
Capacity building is the key - not retention.
So where does this leave us? It leaves us with
school systems that are under pressure to get
rid of students because of political decisions
that are not based upon sound education policy.
While the Texas Miracle is being cast upon us
all, districts throughout the country are now
subject to pulling the Texas tricks: fudge the
numbers and the people will think schools are
improving. Instead, we need to give schools the
resources they need to help children succeed.
We need to invest in our children and stop playing
games. With its narrow focus upon math and reading
test scores, NCLB is a dangerous experiment that
threatens to disrupt and dilute the education
of millions of children. |
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