Community | March 13, 2010 | 121 comments

Obama Plans to Dismantle No Child Left Behind

source: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/03/13/us/politics/AP-US-Obama-Education.html

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ATLANTA (AP) -- The Obama administration unveiled its plan Saturday to radically change his predecessor's No Child Left Behind law in hopes of replacing an accountability system that in the last decade has tagged more than a third of schools as failing and created a hodgepodge of sometimes weak academic standards among states.

The changes would dismantle the 2002 law championed by President George W. Bush, moving away from punishing schools that don't meet benchmarks and instead focusing on rewarding schools for progress, particularly with poor and minority students. The blueprint calls for states to adopt standards that ensure students are ready for college or a career rather than grade-level proficiency -- the focus of the current law.

''Unless we take action -- unless we step up -- there are countless children who will never realize their full talent and potential,'' Obama said during a video address on Saturday. ''I don't accept that future for them. And I don't accept that future for the United States of America.''

The blueprint also would allow states to use subjects other than reading and mathematics as part of their measurements for meeting federal goals, pleasing many education groups that have said No Child Left Behind encouraged teachers not to focus on history, art, science, social studies and other important subjects.

And, for the first time in the law's 45-year history, the White House is proposing a $4 billion increase in federal education spending, most of which would go to increase the competition among states for grant money and move away from formula-based funding.

The blueprint goes before the House Education and Labor Committee on Wednesday as Obama pushes Congress to reauthorize the education law this year, a time-consuming task that some observers say will be difficult. Committee Chairman George Miller, a Democrat from California, praised Obama's plan.

''This blueprint lays the right markers to help us reset the bar for our students and the nation,'' Miller said in a prepared statement.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan briefed a handful of governors, lawmakers and education groups on the plan Friday, including Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue, a Republican.

''The governor is very supportive of the direction the secretary is going,'' said Perdue's spokesman Chris Schrimpf.

A few other highlights from the blueprint:

-- By 2020, all students graduating from high school would need to be ready for college or a career. That's a shift away from the current law, which calls for all students to be performing at grade level in reading and math by 2014.

-- Give more rewards -- money and flexibility -- to high-poverty schools that are seeing big gains in student achievement and use them as a model for other schools in low-income neighborhoods that struggle with performance.

-- Duncan has said the name No Child Left Behind will be dropped because it is associated with a harsh law that punishes schools for not reaching benchmarks even if they've made big gains. He said the administration will work with Congress to come up with a new name.

Amy Wilkins, a vice president with The Education Trust in Washington, D.C., called the blueprint a ''culture shift.''

''One of the things America has not been clear about is what k-12 is supposed to do,'' Wilkins said. ''In this, we're saying K-12 is supposed to prepare kids for college and meaningful careers.''

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/03/13/us/politics/AP-US-Obama-Education.htm...
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121 comments // Obama Plans to Dismantle No Child Left Behind

  • shizzam
  • chris50
    • 0
      chris50  

    • I hope they do away with "No child left behind." It only made our children dumber. A lot of kids cannot even read. Parents are the most important part of a child education. If the parent do not relay the importance of an education to a child and be there to assist the child in learning, then we are screwed. But the child needs textbooks to do homework, not photocopies of homework. More money needs to be spent in education for books and computers. We need to promote better teachers. How many not so good teachers do you know or have had during your school years? Teachers are important to our children. Is money the only reason a teacher teaches? I do not think so. There are teachers out there who want to teach and would teach if only they had some sort of backup from the parents and the states. We have teacher now who use their own money to buy supplies for their student? Why can't we as parents or concerned people help to buy books for our children so they can take the books home for homework. Our children need our support. How do we get each parent to take responsibility for their child. Even when my children were going to school, on parent/teacher night, there were not that many parent that came. My parents went to all parent/teacher nights, we had books to bring home so we could study properly. My children are grown now , but I have grandchildren in school and they know how important school is. How do you get parents back involved with their child's education? Willing to listen to any opinions.

    • 2 years ago
  • good_stuff
    • +1
      good_stuff  

    • It won't help. I live in Kansas City, and they just voted to consolidate the impovershed highschools into 1 because they couldn't keep the doors open on both.

      The best part is that they closed the highschool that was performing badly instead of the one performing really badly because it had straighter hallways which is considered "safer" (bullets travel straight, right?).

      The point is, how can you be prepared to go to college when 1) your family can't afford to send you, and 2) you don't know if you'll ever see your graduation day.

    • 2 years ago
  • stolenapples
  • CaptB
  • Jahvega
  • bking74
    • -2
      bking74  

    • Maybe, I misunderstood you and Haruki_Hirasawa's point about Education leading to liberalism. I received a great Catholic School education. (Yes, I will admit that being taught by a bunch of Nuns and Jesuit Brothers isn't the most progressive education) but I did receive an extremely rich cultural education. I am a career military man and while my personal beliefs are more socialist I tend to vote republican (simply because the republicans tend to spend more more on the military). Are you suggesting that more conservative people are incapable of free thought? I also know that growing up in Boston the public school systems is a fucking joke. Year after Year hundreds of lower income students receive sub-par educations and limited chances for advancement.

    • 2 years ago
  • CaptB
    • 0
      CaptB  
    • bking74:

      Conservatives are capable of free thought. However, listening to Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'reilly, and Fox News makes me wonder what thoughts they are buying into. There are moderates on both sides, which is where I think we need to go. I do NOT think that Bush and the right wing did positive things for our country. Which includes the military. I think Bush allowed the KBR corporation to profit in Iraq like few companies have been allowed to do. They were hiring Pakistani and Nepalese workers and still charging the U.S. Gov't $88,000 per employee (American wages that American's were supposed to fill). That is just smart business I guess? Depending on if you are a liberal or conservative.

    • 2 years ago
  • bking74
    • 0
      bking74  
    • CaptB:

      One can of coke costed the U.S. Army 10$ and Haliburton imported concrete from New Jersey to repair a cement factory in Bagdad. This while the majority of the Humvees in our Calvary unit lacked proper armor or enough batteries for our night vision. So, I have to agree with you about the raping of Iraq and plunder for riches by the Bush Administration and it's corporate allies. Believe me many of us in the Military feel betrayed by our Government. But I still love this country and believe that we still can have a positive impact on the world. Naive maybe?...but we all need a reason to get up and go to work.

    • 2 years ago
  • tommic
    • +1
      tommic  
    • bking74:

      First things first, I hope all is well with you.
      Second stop votong republican thats why your can of coke is ten bucks, that why halliburton is making billions off of the war effort you and your brothers are involved in.
      Republicans play this little game, patriotism they call for, defense spending they call for war is for profit by the very republicans you vote for. It is in Iraq as it was in Vietnam, little has changed. The imposed belief on most that democrats are soft on defense is bullshit, what was FDR, JFK,LBJ, Clinton in bosnia all dems took us to all these wars (fact) Bush 1 and Bush 2 are the first repubs to take the country to war since eisenhower and Korea.
      Defense spending has risen faster than any other department in the federal government for the last forty years. The demo/repub debate on defense is skewed, trust me you usually do, do some research you will find what I say to be true.

    • 2 years ago
  • bking74
    • 0
      bking74  
    • tommic:

      President Clinton and Wesley Clarke accomplished amazing things in Bosnia, JFK had balls of steel during the Cuban Missile crisis even if he dropped the ball during the miserable epic failure of an invasion at the Bay of Pigs and FDR not only guided this country to an impressive victory over the Axis armies but during the peace treaties that followed when everyone was dividing up the plunder, he had the shrewd intelligence to let the Russians, French and British fight over the material property of the German Military while he ran off into the night with the best and brightest of Germanys minds.

    • 2 years ago
  • bking74
  • PigFarmington
  • PigFarmington
    • 0
      PigFarmington  
    • PigFarmington:

      I love when people vote down my posts when a bash Obama, yet they don't comment as to why. Get Obama's dick out of your mouth and explain yourself. Where do you see the logic in firing every teacher at a school. That's just lazy. With that kind of philosophy, there won't be any teacher left except in rich suburban schools.

    • 2 years ago
  • jahbini
    • 0
      jahbini  
    • PigFarmington:

      Here is the logic: You may not like it, but here it is.

      It is exceedingly hard to fire a teacher. A principal will need to have an on-going dossier on a bad teacher that not only details the infractions that the teacher has done, but all the (required) remedial steps taken with that teacher. It can take years. Even a teacher that repeatedly shows up stinking drunk can not be fired without these steps. A teacher that has seniority (read that as burned-out) will automatically have the union as an ally against the principle or school board.

      Vicious emotional games, non-teaching, yelling, outright favoritism, alcohol, and even drugs are tolerated simply because it is so hard to make a case stick against a teacher. Even keeping track of ONE teacher and successfully firing that teacher can be a full time job for a principal. Just imagine an elementary school where there are 40 to 60% of these underachievers. It's not imaginary, it is real in some school districts.

      Firing ALL the teachers levels the playing field. It's brutal, but the good teachers, the ones that are dedicated and competent, will get new positions easily. Sorry about the rest.

      I'm not impressed with Obama, But I'm seriously depressed about the poor product that is offered to the country's children. Remember, it is a REQUIREMENT for growing up. We need to REQUIRE the product is worthy of the hope we have for our future workers and leaders.

      If there is a positive outcome of all this, not only will I be surprised, but delighted, because, for the most part, our kids are bathing in a sea of educational sewage.

      RIP Katanajon

    • 2 years ago
  • enjoiart
    • +1
      enjoiart  

    • Good riddance,. I hope they stop giving out personal information of public school students to military recruiters, as was allowed under the No Child Left Behind Act. I'm 23 and still getting calls. Give the students an education don't kill them before they get one. What a ridiculous addition to an educational bill.

    • 2 years ago
  • CaptB
    • 0
      CaptB  
    • enjoiart:

      Trust me when I say that the alternative is much worse. I think you would rather decline a phone call than be drafted against your will. So a few phone calls and visits to serve your country isn't that bad.

    • 2 years ago
  • PigFarmington
  • oppressed1
  • randallr01
  • sk0j0
  • 24French
  • tommic
    • +2
      tommic  

    • President Obama's plan to legislate public schools and standards had better come with financial backing by the federal government. Education funding at the federal level is less in real dollars than we spent as a nation per pupil in the 1950'60's and 70's. The cutiing of federal spending pushed further burdens onto the states and local communities.
      With deficits rising states cut aid to communities forcing many to raise property taxes which then themselves had limits placed of them through referendums. In the end it is the students, communities and country who suffer from the degredation of the education systems as a whole. Those who berate teachers and how much they are paid, every profession has its stars and slouches, deal with it. The children come first our communities second and our countries future depends on big increases in federal spending on education guarenteeing an equal education for all students in America, rich or poor,black,hispanic,asian,native american or white. Its our country the only question is "how much do we love it"
      Pay up and shut up.

    • 2 years ago
  • bking74
  • Muse13
  • tommic
    • 0
      tommic  
    • Muse13:

      Yes we need a national standards of teachers and methods and screw states rights on this no child chooses where he or her lives and they should not be held to the whims of religious fanatics who know nothing but the stupid book (bible) and absolutly nothing about reality

    • 2 years ago
  • GodsnLiberals
    • -10
      GodsnLiberals  

    • you can have all the policies you can have but IF THE FUCKING PARENTS ARE IDIOTS and do not care..it is not going to work..

      Kids are being directed away from responsibilities and accountability, its always someone's fault when they fuck up..(ahahhaaha and funny enough it ties to my *people who smokes weed are weak minded people*)

    • 2 years ago
  • Almibry
    • +2
      Almibry  
    • GodsnLiberals:

      And of course, everyone was raised by idiotic parents but you. I'm so glad your parents put so much into raising you or we wouldn't have all the wonderful insight you have to offer. *pats on the head*

    • 2 years ago
  • CaptB
    • 0
      CaptB  
    • GodsnLiberals:

      Your words are correct, even though your expletives may turn some people off.

      Parents need to hold their children accountable. If the parents do not care, the children in turn will not take it seriously.

    • 2 years ago
  • flyingkick
    • +1
      flyingkick  
    • GodsnLiberals:

      Why was this voted down?
      This is probably the smartest thing GodsnLiberals has ever said.

      Any K-12 educator will tell you that parental involvement is key. And, in the worst schools, it's one of the biggest things that is lacking.

    • 2 years ago
  • GodsnLiberals
    • -5
      GodsnLiberals  

    • its like voting for "change"..its funny how a lot supports the idea of change..but when its time to break a fucking sweat..they turn their backs on this guy and walk away..

      its all about social attitude..our school system is too liberalized..its indoctrinated by liberal teachers governed by liberalized teachers union...

      liberalism is a road to failure and chaos..TIME TO STOP IT

    • 2 years ago
  • Haruki_Hirasawa
    • +5
      Haruki_Hirasawa  
    • GodsnLiberals:

      Education has been proven to lead to liberalism, so its not really a surprise that teachers, scientists and other people with higher education are mostly liberal. Why? Because education is tailored to encourage free thinking, and free thinking leads to liberalism.

    • 2 years ago
  • tommic
    • +1
      tommic  
    • Haruki_Hirasawa:

      very true. Both my parents were republicans with no more than a high school education, myself and brother and sisters are all progressive liberals after getting very good educations, grew up in a jewish community and went to college. It happens most of the time.

    • 2 years ago
  • CaptB
    • 0
      CaptB  
    • GodsnLiberals:

      Are you proposing we go back to the 1950's conservative mindset? I think we need more liberalism in this country. More people being accepting of one another.

      Or do you propose we turn more conservative and allow prayer in schools, no separation of church and state, corporations to run everything, and NO taxation what-so-ever?

      We need a balance.

    • 2 years ago
  • CaptB
  • Muse13
    • +3
      Muse13  

    • It has been my experience in the public school system that the "no child left behind" polacy does not encurage teaching or learning in fact i have wittnessed many of teachers faced with posibilty of losed funds and jobs cheat on standarized test and pass kids that where not ready. I remember every year a month before a big test our teachers would stop teaching math and reading and instead focus all there attentions to teaching us how to pass a standerdized test. For the daily grads one teacher put us on a system of behavoir points so when we got 12 points we could apply them to our lowest grade. Some kids never did there homework passed with a C on these points.

      I am not saying these teachers where bad people. Years of poorly funded schools and ill motivated students and indiffrent parents had jaded them to a students potental.

      My schools funding was so low i was useing text books that my fathers name was still writing in the front. One teacher when faced with half the text books she needed for 32 students took a box cutter to our text books and tought half the class from the back of the book and half from the front at mid year we switched. That teacher was then fired at the end of the year for damageing school property. Thats when i noticed the cheating start.

      The following year after the cheating started we got funding for a computer lab soon after our play lot was repaved. ( of course after i got my best scares they put grass down lol) they then passed me saying i was at a 12th grade level leaving me with a faulse since of my intelagence.

      I got to high school only to find out i was still at a 6th grade level on math and a 8th grade level on reading. When asked how i dropped so fast in such a short time i explaned what i have explaned above and they refused to beleave me. Despite the other students that came from my grammer school where haveing simaler problems. ( the other students with me did not tell the same story i did they mearly looked at there shoes and said " i dont know" to any questions asked poor children have a distrust and fear of any one in authurity) i no longer trusted the school system and caused enough ruckess to be signed out of school by my father. I home schooled my self through correspondence corses and found a desent job. The other students with me where not so lucky.

      I still do place blam solelly on the teachers they only did what desprite times called for . I blam a corupt system and indifrent parents. Parents who have spent the few moments reading this please step away from the computer find your kids ask them how there day was in school sit down with them and do there home work stop waiting for an under paid poorly treated person with 32 students to worry about do your job for you. Dont teach your kids to tell the truth then dont beleave them when they are begging for help. Dont take i dont know for an answer and just say your kid is acting out for attention then doing nothing. I was lucky enough that my distrust sent me out in the world looking for something i could trust and finding only me. Alot off people never find that they throw up there hands and say this is how life is.

    • 2 years ago
  • keithponder
  • bking74
  • tommic
    • 0
      tommic  
    • Muse13:

      you know why your school didn't have what it needs? People hate taxes so much they do anything to not pay them like voting for morons for elected office who won't tell them the truth. Like we need to raise your taxes so we can educate your children. The distain for taxes in this country may well be its ultimate undoing

    • 2 years ago
  • shanklinmike
    • -1
      shanklinmike  

    • Just another statist program....I hope he ends this horrible program. I just wonder which inefficient government program he will replace it with....

    • 2 years ago
  • Muse13
    • 0
      Muse13  

    • It has been my experience in the public school system that the "no child left behind" polacy does not encurage teaching or learning in fact i have wittnessed many of teachers faced with posibilty of losed funds and jobs cheat on standarized test and pass kids that where not ready. I remember every year a month before a big test our teachers would stop teaching math and reading and instead focus all there attentions to teaching us how to pass a standerdized test. For the daily grads one teacher put us on a system of behavoir points so when we got 12 points we could apply them to our lowest grade. Some kids never did there homework passed with a C on these points.

      I am not saying these teachers where bad people. Years of poorly funded schools and ill motivated students and indiffrent parents had jaded them to a students potental.

      My schools funding was so low i was useing text books that my fathers name was still writing in the front. One teacher when faced with half the text books she needed for 32 students took a box cutter to our text books and tought half the class from the back of the book and half from the front at mid year we switched. That teacher was then fired at the end of the year for damageing school property. Thats when i noticed the cheating start.

      The following year after the cheating started we got funding for a computer lab soon after our play lot was repaved. ( of course after i got my best scares they put grass down lol) they then passed me saying i was at a 12th grade level leaving me with a faulse since of my intelagence.

      I got to high school only to find out i was still at a 6th grade level on math and a 8th grade level on reading. When asked how i dropped so fast in such a short time i explaned what i have explaned above and they refused to beleave me. Despite the other students that came from my grammer school where haveing simaler problems. ( the other students with me did not tell the same story i did they mearly looked at there shoes and said " i dont know" to any questions asked poor children have a distrust and fear of any one in authurity) i no longer trusted the school system and caused enough ruckess to be signed out of school by my father. I home schooled my self through correspondence corses and found a desent job. The other students with me where not so lucky.

      I still do place blam solelly on the teachers they only did what desprite times called for . I blam a corupt system and indifrent parents. Parents who have spent the few moments reading this please step away from the computer find your kids ask them how there day was in school sit down with them and do there home work stop waiting for an under paid poorly treated person with 32 students to worry about do your job for you. Dont teach your kids to tell the truth then dont beleave them when they are begging for help. Dont take i dont know for an answer and just say your kid is acting out for attention then doing nothing. I was lucky enough that my distrust sent me out in the world looking for something i could trust and finding only me. Alot off people never find that they throw up there hands and say this is how life is.

    • 2 years ago
  • UtopianSky
  • courage
  • jahbini
    • +2
      jahbini  

    • I know a great lady that has struggled mightily to help children move forward with the support of this program. She had skill, knowledge and capability to help students learn faster and consistently.

      She spent countless hours teaching these skills to teachers so that they might be able to match the level of competence of a master teacher, rather than end-up like a 30 year veteran of over-work, under-achievement who holds on to those union benefits until the last possible moment. Those folks have no interest in changing what they do in the classroom. You can't make a teacher excellent unless you have great workers out there in the field like my friend. She spends weeks at a time in unpleasant school districts around the country. A hard, thankless task except for the look of appreciation from the kids and parents.

      I know, I walked with her on the streets of one of these districts and saw the mommies say "my 3rd grader is in your program. She can now read and is helping my high school son with his homework." Yes, That's straight out of the mouth. I heard it, more than once.

      It's very, very tough out in the teacher's trenches. They need all the help they can get to reach kids and teach the skills that will make the difference.

      This new change will dismantle much of what my friend can offer. With all its flaws, the old system attempted to give my friend the opportunity to help these kids.

      Without great curricula, teacher training and monitoring, we lose.

    • 2 years ago
  • GodsnLiberals
    • -4
      GodsnLiberals  
    • jahbini:

      70% of the teachers in California, are incompetent idiots who spend most of their time teaching liberalized political bullshit..

      what we need are good teachers..and PARENTS THAT GIVES A SHIT..

    • 2 years ago
  • jahbini
    • +1
      jahbini  
    • GodsnLiberals:

      Yes, parents are key. They have the numbers, they have the votes, they have the good of their own children in mind.

      Keep up the pressure for excellence, mom and dad (and auntie, granny and grampa, too)

    • 2 years ago
  • Nephwrack
  • Almibry
  • bking74
    • 0
      bking74  
    • Almibry:

      I have to admit you love to burn people with your verbal onslaught, maybe you can try something different every once in awhile and instead of burning people offer a well thought out and insightful comment. But I do love reading your razor sharp retorts.

    • 2 years ago
  • CaptB
  • piejustisntrational
  • srg
    • -7
      srg  

    • More money for minorities than for "others" BECAUSE they are minorites. That my friends, is racism. This man, my friends... is a racist. Every move he makes is based on race.

      Now get this. He isn't doing this to HELP blacks. He is doing it to punish whites. He sees this nation thru the eyes of malcolm & mohammed. He sees America as if lunch counter mentality still holds sway. It dosent. & if you say it's still the same, then you are as out of touch w/reality as he. He peeks out at the world thru 60's eyes. For those of you who say..."NOPE, still ain't enough..." It will never be enough.

      The pendelum has SWUNG already...i.e. we have a black president. Can we move on now? Some of you say no.

      When I saw the world thru viet nam eyes, 20 years after...they called out the uh oh squad & labeled me "unstable". Why should it be any different for him. Unstable president = unstable nation...& baby...NEVER has this nation been on shakier ground than today.

      You think for 1 minute he gives a da*n about your children? right. you keep on stroking yourself till you fall dead asleep.

      On the day we stop injecting race into every thing we think say and do...then, maybe we can "Wake up Martin" brad...right now ...that's not martin...thats malcolm.

      a nazi is a nazi... a black nazi is no different than a white one. bad news for us all.

      What a disappointment.

    • 2 years ago
  • UtopianSky
    • +2
      UtopianSky  
    • srg:

      I agree that we need to stop injecting race into everything we do- you can begin by not calling the President a racist black Nazi.

      What he outlined is NOT about race- it's NOT about helping rich black kids in the suburbs at the expense of poor white kids in the inner cities.

      It's about helping poor kids in the inner cities- a large percentage of whom happen to be black.

      Race would not be a litmus test, socioeconomic conditions would be.

      It just so happens that minorities, on average, live in worse socioeconomic conditions.

      Again- if you want to cure racism- start by taking a good long look in the mirror, and a good long look at your rant.

    • 2 years ago
  • bking74
    • 0
      bking74  
    • srg:

      You briefly mention your service in Vietnam and for that I thank you, but as a soldier you should know that their is only one color--"Green". I do wish that race wasn't always an issue but some of your supportive opinions are just to radical to be taken seriously.

    • 2 years ago
  • CaptB
    • 0
      CaptB  
    • srg:

      You are going to have to mention to me again what legislation Obama has passed that is racist in nature? Or what he has stated that sounded racist to you?

      He happens to be a black president that is very intelligent. The reason our nation is unstable at this point is because Bush followed through with Reagan's ideation of trickle down economics. Where the rich are supposed to give back to the poor in the form of wages. They never have. Bush cut taxes for everything, and still, the wealthy never gave back.

      Bush is the reason we are in a mess in this country. Obama is trying to get us out of this mess. So exactly how is this racist? He is trying to help ALL Americans.

      Perhaps you need more help than the minorities so you are claiming it is racist against you? Is that what you meant to convey?

    • 2 years ago
  • kassandrasduplex
    • -1
      kassandrasduplex  
    • Image

    • http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/03/02
      Obama proposes using federal financial rewards to fire entire teaching staffs.

      http://www.democracynow.org/2010/3/5/protests
      As the Obama administration touts No Child Left Behind and the “Race to the Top” competition for school grants, we speak to leading education scholar and former Assistant Secretary of Education Diane Ravitch. She’s long been known as an advocate of No Child Left Behind, charter schools, standardized testing, and using the free market to improve schools. But she’s had a radical change of heart, as chronicled in her latest book, The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education. Ravitch says, “The evidence says No Child Left Behind was a failure, and charter schools aren’t going to be any better.”

      That headline quote above is from MARCH 5th 2010 Ravitch is an education expert and she revealed that Obama's plans are to continue much of No Child. All they are doing primarily is REBRANDING it with a new name.

      Google search "Obama increase funding charter schools" and you will see MANY articles from many sources for over a YEAR showing he really intends to increase the basic goal of No Child Left Behind, and that is the privatization of our public school system with more privatized charters.

    • 2 years ago
  • kassandrasduplex
    • 0
      kassandrasduplex  

    • This story is absolutely misleading prop-o-ganda. See the Diane Ravitch interview with Amy Goodman on Democracy Now! Or check out the story recently on Common Dreams (I believe it was) outlining how Obama plans to reward school districts that fire en masse the entire teaching staffs of underperforming schools, approaching union busting with federal dollars. Folks the listed goals of this change the Times put here were vague and broad without citing specific provisions. One teacher described the Administration's plans as being "No Child on Steroids". Obama has changed the name of the Iraq War to Operation New Dawn despite the fact the war and occupation continue. Don't believe very much has changed here because the name is being changed. All they are doing is rebranding for marketing, the move to PRIVATIZE our public education commons continues.
      Lastly WHY would anyone trust the New york TImes after they shilled for the Bush Invasion by printing the lies of Judith Miller front page??
      Diane Ravitch was one of the early advocates of No Child but has recently abruptly reversed her support, but has publicly said Obama is continuing too much of that Bush program for her to support him.
      A NAME CHANGE DOES NOT MEAN THE CORE OF THE PROGRAM IS CHANGING!!
      Obama is advocating firing entire teaching staffs and making districts compete by changing tenure laws and so forth. Competition and free market capitalism is NOT GOOD when dealing with our children and their futures. What we will have is elites and losers and a bunch more privatized schools.

    • 2 years ago
  • artemis6
  • Almibry
  • DrManhattan01011
  • KeithdaSneith
  • skiersam10
    • 0
      skiersam10  

    • This is such a great idea. I'm still in high school and I really hope this goes through while I'm there. Our standardized test says that we must know certain things in English and Math, but the thing is, how is that gonna determine the rest of my life? I understand that you need to pass it, but just because Math isn't my best subject that means I'm a failure? I'm glad this is happening. I have great grades in History, Art, Science, and English. Math is my flaw. Great idea! Not everyone is an Einstein and they need to understand that.

    • 2 years ago
  • Almibry
  • bking74
  • Jjjjason7
    • 0
      Jjjjason7  

    • I think this is a great idea and should have been done alot sooner. The system as it is has some major flaws and we need to do something different.

    • 2 years ago
  • dimebag4145
    • +3
      dimebag4145  

    • Im in high school, in CA, and i can say first hand that the school system there is horrible. Its not the schools fault, personally i thing the teachers are doing an acceptible job, but its hard to teach when its 37 vs 1 and when we run out of money for paper by november.

    • 2 years ago
  • kassandrasduplex
    • 0
      kassandrasduplex  
    • dimebag4145:

      The Obama plans DO NOTHING TO REDUCE CLASS to INSTRUCTOR RATIOS. This story is very misleading. This story is propaganda from the New York Times. See the Amy Goodman interview with Diane Ravitch on Democracy Now!

    • 2 years ago
  • Jesse400
    • 0
      Jesse400  

    • "K-12 is supposed to prepare kids for college and meaningful careers.'' Well it hasn't. I think college is going to prepare me for college, and I've found my meaningful career on my own time. Not on my guidance councilors or school systems.

    • 2 years ago
  • Jesse400
  • sunflowerdagger
    • +2
      sunflowerdagger  

    • Maybe with this "No child Left Behind" program dismantled. Our school systems will be less like prisons & focus on the individual talents of our children. Inspiring them to do what they love & are talented at. As opposed to the ban hammer.

    • 2 years ago
  • kassandrasduplex
  • JonRaymond
    • +2
      JonRaymond  

    • Yeah, instead of having programs with names that promise what they don't deliver lets actually do something other than fund overpaid education administrators.

    • 2 years ago
  • Almibry
    • -1
      Almibry  
    • JonRaymond:

      Not that it would really be all that great if they did manage to deliver. I'm an intellectual elitist, so forgive me when I say you can't make retards any smarter by making geniuses dumber. What kind of logic arrived at that conclusion?

    • 2 years ago
  • bking74
    • 0
      bking74  
    • Almibry:

      you can't make retards any smarter by making geniuses dumber.....fuckin' brilliant, that had me laughing till my stomach ached. Even is I am one of those retards your talking about.

    • 2 years ago
  • bking74
  • UndoInfluence
    • +2
      UndoInfluence  

    • Almost all studies looking at the effects of the No Child Left Behind program showed that it did much greater harm than good. The program never should have been adopted in the first place.

    • 2 years ago
  • lionessgrrl
  • courage
  • Almibry
  • emarston
  • Darevalo
    • +5
      Darevalo  

    • all i know is those tests were a joke for anyone who was within a rational thinking age... all they did was take away from time that could have been better spent actually learning instead of filling in pointless fucking bubbles for hours, making us regurgitate.

      any change to this system is welcome news for debate in my opinion. our educational system is a joke when it comes to whats become of testing and other standardization and the kids know it for the most part..

    • 2 years ago
  • Almibry
    • +1
      Almibry  
    • Darevalo:

      I agree completely. In Fl, a whole quarter of the school year was lost to test/test preparation days as a result of the "No Child Left Behind" program. It was crap.

    • 2 years ago
  • Darevalo
  • CaptB
    • 0
      CaptB  
    • Darevalo:

      One thing I am afraid of is that these standardized test are reported by the states and that each state and school district might massage the statistics. Meaning that we may find certain states and schools willing to manipulate the statistics. It is just a different perspective I guess? One that concerns me though.

    • 2 years ago
  • Darevalo
  • baby_im_bad_NEWS
  • Sam_the_Wizer
  • Scathian
  • tiflaf
  • artemis6
  • unimatrix0
  • oppressed1
  • courage
  • piejustisntrational
  • divotdawg
    • 0
      divotdawg  
    • piejustisntrational:

      I was celebrating the victory. I just asked a simple question and unimatrix attacked me like he/she always attacks someone's comments. I guess it was just my turn. It gets old. It also really pisses me off that he/she can say whatever they want but when we do, it's not appropriate. Do they own this thread? If not, then I can mention monkeys if I want to. P.S. that's my "code word" for social workers.

    • 2 years ago
  • Almibry
    • +3
      Almibry  
    • unimatrix0:

      Also a gross failure is the fact that we had a Bush and a Dick in office at the same time, and not nearly enough jokes involving their names. There should be hundreds by now, without even thinking about it, I should be able to think of at least five automatically. What a failure. Tsk.

    • 2 years ago
  • courage
  • divotdawg
    • 0
      divotdawg  

    • So when is he going to dismantle the other illegal governmental programs, like CASA, GAL, CPS, family court, agencies like that that systematically destroy the American family? No child left behind was stupid to begin with but giving states even more money to fight over children is ludicrous. I agree with Atalanda, the name was ridiculous.

    • 2 years ago
  • unimatrix0
    • +2
      unimatrix0  
    • divotdawg:

      those agencies (CASA, GAL, CPS, family court) protect children from negligent and abusive parents. the only people who would object to these agencies are abusive and negligent parents and those who have been duped by abusive and negligent parents.

    • 2 years ago
  • divotdawg
    • 0
      divotdawg  
    • unimatrix0:

      Apparently then you've had no dealings with these corrupt agencies. It's not about protecting children at all...it's about money. Google CPS abuses, ASFA, Title IV-E funding, Danieal Kelly, Hassani Campbell, Gabriel Myers, Marcus Fiesel, Haley Gray, Adrianna and Tyler Payne, Kyra Zabuh, I can go on and on and on about children killed under their watch. Four social workers were just convicted of gross negligence a few weeks ago because of their role in Danieal Kelly's starvation death. They fail children on all levels. Do some research before automatically believing that a government agency is actually NOT about money.

    • 2 years ago
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