To Senator Edward Kennedy - March 2007
Dear Senator Kennedy,“No Child Left Behind” isn’t educational reform. It is the destruction of public education. There is no doubt in my mind that NCLB is nothing short of a full, frontal assault on public education disguised as Trojan horse claiming to close the achievement gap.
The authors of NCLB have put forth ridiculous standards that are impossible to reach. When we as public educators do fail to meet these impossible standards, those who push for privatization will stand upon their soap boxes and point the finger at public education and public educators and say, “You have failed, therefore we must privatize education.” If you, as a Senator, believe in public education, you must act to turn the tide against this assault.
Public education is not perfect (nor is anything I am aware of) and can certainly be the beneficiaries of appropriate and reasonable public policy. The first step must be the elimination of the use of standardized tests as the sole measure of a school’s success. The results of standardized tests in my last building demonstrate the narrowing of curriculum. The middle school students in that building had two ninety minute blocks of both math and language arts each day. They had a third ninety minute block of either science or social studies, alternating to one or the other each day. Students also received daily two electives (art, band, technology, Spanish, French, or physical education) of forty-five minutes each. Due to the fact that social studies and science (except for 8th graders) are not included in the school’s “grade” they are after-thoughts. However, it seems to me that if the purpose of public education is to create an educated electorate able to participate in our democratic republic, then we should not give short shrift to social studies. If the United States wishes to continue to be the leader in scientific innovation, we must curb our single-minded fascination with test scores as THE measure of a school’s success. It would also help to have a Presidential administration that embraces science, rather than eschews it.
The next important step must be to fund education appropriately. I realize that federal funding of education is less than ten percent of all public school education funding, but the ridiculous strings attached to receiving federal funds require massive amounts of dollars to be spent from the local revenues in order to receive these funds. Wouldn’t $45 million be better spent on instruction in Colorado instead of testing (did a cow ever get fatter from putting it on a scale)? Is it too much to ask for Congress to cease to passing legislation that amount to unfunded mandates? However, I understand that the there are those who in their desire to eliminate public education in their quest to eliminate the American middle class will ask the impossible of public educators (who are brave enough to try to reach the impossible, the truly impossible, because there is nothing that we think we can’t do through education).
Finally, I think it is important for the federal government to recognize that we are a vast nation of diverse people. To expect every school to be like every other school is asinine. There are skills and abilities necessary at every level. But there is no reason that a school on the shores of Maine should look like a school on the plains of Colorado should look like a school in inner-city Los Angeles. The notion of “local control” has been given lip service, and nothing more.
I ask of you, Senator Kennedy, to consult real educators, those of us that are actually practicing in the profession when considering legislation that affects education. Please, understand that I believe that the problem with most legislators regarding education legislation is that because they went to school, they think they are experts in education. That is like saying because I went to a doctor I am an expert in medicine. Ultimately, I am asking you to begin an end in the assault on public education and public educators. There is no better institution in the United States than public education, and there are no more dedicated professionals than teachers.
Sincerely,
Sean Michael Black, M. A., Ed. S.
Greeley, Colorado
posted by Sean Black @ 3:15 PM
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