Who here, like me, thinks No Child Left Behind is an abyssmal failure?

Question

For the last thirty years, U.S. schools haven't been instilling many students with the basic math, writing, and reading abilities they need to succeed in our world. We obviously score below the rest of the industrialized world in math and science.

Oh sure, it might be helping "poor" schools bring up their test scores. But really, their not an honest, holistic assessment of students' analytical capabilities. I'm not against testing, per se. But, NCLB forces teachers to teach kids to know how to handle the test; NCLB hurts teachers even more from developing and strengthing the intellectual abilities of their students. The VAST majority of my new college classmates still DID NOT feel prepared for college at all! States and localities have had reductions in their control over schools; there is now so much federal oversight. Lastly, math, science, and reading: compared to the rest of the world, we're still suckin' and not getting much better!

Teachers and fellow conservatives: Agreed?

Here in Kentucky, teachers are not allowed to even incite very much intellectual class discussion or thought, much less instruct the class in their own creative way. I disapprove of teachers instilling their personal, social, and political ideology, but most teachers really don't do that. (I'm also not a fan of teachers' unions, but that's for another day.) They have to teach cut-and-paste from the curriculum manuals bestowed upon them by Frankfort.

angie: 100 agreed! NCLB should have been crafted more spefically to make sure teachers who aren't doing their jobs actually do them. It had that intention but has failed in its mission.

Answer 1

Agreed. NCLB is stupid, since it only stoops to teach the losers who don't actually want to learn. Like my mechanic and fast food cashier need to learn calculus. Meanwhile, the intellegent people eager to learn, the ones who REALLY need education, are left behind, because the government is playing catch up with the slackers.

Answer 2

I agree totally. I live in south Texas and the kids around me graduate and can't speak English and they are in a English speaking environment at school. What are they to do? I was a returning student when I moved here. I was appalled at the level of the classes. Most were taught at the equivalent of my grade school classes. My Texas law course was taught by a Connecticut lawyer so I couldn't ask questions and then she taught a core accounting course and wanted us to get information so that she could publish her paper. We didn't get 1/3 of the way through corporate accounting book. Then I got her for another accounting course that was supposed to help us write accounting letters but actually help us review some of the finer points of accounting. She turned it into an English class and she didn't know the rules of punctuation. There were others as bad and others that were just terrific. But all of this to say that I could not believe that a university would allow this to happen. I understand it has gotten worse. The standards of teaching pushed here are deplorable and they are at every level. No wonder I was asked if I could file after I got my BA. For starters, I could just kick myself for not voting for Ann Richards. . .

Answer 3

I'm neither a teacher nor a conservative, but you're right. "No Child Left a Dime" does not do what its architect said it would. What a surprise. School budgets across the country are being cut to finance fat tax breaks for fat CEOs, enabling them to profiteer off an unethical and immoral invasion that has cost thousands of lives all in the name of corporate profit.
Do these people care about the state of public education in the US? Of course not. All they care about is sating their own greed. Wake up, people. The GOP is evil and they're selling your kid's future for a bigger profit margin. Stop believing the lies.

Answer 4

I think it was started with the best of intentions but I think we have waisted entirely too much tax dollars on it. There r too many parents who think its all up to the school to teach their kids and its not. Its hand in hand with the school and the parents to both work together. I dont think any kid should just be passed because they have been there too long, each child should be able to pass before moving on. If they cant pass then they need to learn it before moving on. it doesnt help them to move them ahead to be kind

Answer 5

I think the real problem lies in the teaching ability of most of the teachers. There needs to be better standards that require the teachers to meet. Teachers need to care about their job and about their students. They need to be able to believe in their students and push their students to the best that they can.

Answer 6

its good in theory because kids shouldnt be graduating not knowing how to read. we are now teaching to the test. we are becoming robots. there will never be education equalirt when there are kids, parents, adminstrators, and teachers dont care. its beating a dead horse.

Answer 7

i think there are so many things wrong with the public school system..it's not what it used to be & i don't find it surprising why so many kids decide to drop out due to all these new rules & regulations & not to mention all these tests you have to take in order to get a freakin piece of paper

Answer 8

I agree

Answer 9

Makes you wonder what's next....no girlfriend left behind....