FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Joe Lucido, Brenda Cregor, Nancy Gilmore, Mr. Joel Saldana, Sandra Hammond, and Rog Lucido
As the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is approaching, teachers, parents, and other community activists, with the welfare of our nation's children and public education system in mind, are meeting with state representatives from every party and creed.
Our meeting with Joel Saldana, Congressman Costa's aid, was quite fruitful. Mr. Saldana actively listened. He asked for solutions to the daunting troubles public education is facing. In addition, he asked empowering questions and contributed to the dialogue surrounding the many issues and subjects we shared.
My favorite Education Advocacy Cohort: Sandra, Joe, Nancy, Me, & Rog
In a recent USA Today/Gallup poll shows that a strong majority of Americans support a major overhaul of No Child Left Behind or total elimination of the law. Among all respondents with opinions about NCLB only about a quarter said, "Keep basically as is." Democrats, Republicans and Independents share these opinions in very similar ratios. More precisely: 16% want to "eliminate law"; 41% said, "keep with major revisions"; 21% replied, "keep as basically is"; and 21% had no opinion or did not know enough to say.
We request that in your discussions and deliberations:
1. Recognize that it is unfair and immoral to demand equal outcomes while remaining silent about equalizing the resources at federal and state levels that create the opportunity for children to learn. Funding schools should go to those schools that are in most economic need not by competitive grants. Conduct school site inventories by qualified educational professionals of required educational materials, supplies and experiences and provide the funds in accordance with those needs. Educationally impoverished students require more help.
2. Address economic, social and cultural issues, which are outside the school day yet impair learning. The availability of nutritious food before school and at lunch, community health, and library services will give students the energy and resources they need to focus. It will help keep more students in school, and provide locations for reading, research and study.
3. Improve the most vulnerable schools rather than punishing schools that serve disadvantaged children. Eliminate "turnaround models" (required in Race to the Top) that have no basis in research. Rather help struggling schools by determining which particular site based issues exist that limit a school’s ability to provide for its students; then address those. Do not change the entire school carte blanche.
4. Focus assessments in ways that improve instruction, display real performance, and encourage exploration, imagination, and critical thinking. Eliminate standardized testing. Rather allow for multiple sources of evidence in determining student learning and growth. Respect teachers’ professional autonomy to modify and adjust lessons as dictated by the needs of their students rather than preparation for local, state and national testing regimens.
5. Create a national assessment program which uses sampling following the model of the NAEP and under the guidelines of The Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing, created by the American Psychological Association, the American Educational Research Association, and the National Council on Measurement in Education. It must also be in accordance with the 1974 Research Act requiring informed consent on the part of any tested student.
6. Permit each school site to determine a workable school improvement timeline based on the specific needs of their student population to replace the 2014 dystopian deadline. Each site in conjunction with its state, county, and district staff should join with parents to develop this timeline, with specific goals and appropriate evidence.
7. Encourage funding of art, music, foreign language, career/technical education, physical education, geography, history, and civics in the curriculum, especially in low-income neighborhoods.
8. Evaluation of teachers should not be based on student test scores (value-added methods ) but rather comprehensive methods of looking at all facets of teaching and learning as evidenced in state professional teaching standards. School wide evaluations should be based on high quality accreditation processes developed just for this purpose.
9. Eliminate the use of accountability principles which employ threats and punishments at the site, district and state levels that are intended to prevent professional educators from expressing their views on programs and policies that are permitted under the reauthorized ESEA.
Spread the word! Get thyself heard!
