Obama Increases Federal Control over Schools, Continues Bush Trend:

[amborin]

States to Government: Hands Off Education

by Lisa Lambert

WASHINGTON - As the U.S. government discusses reauthorizing a sweeping education law and prepares to distribute billions of stimulus dollars for school reform, state legislatures are sending it a strong message: hands off.

Education policy has always been the territory of state and local governments, but in the last decade the U.S. government has interjected itself into curriculum and school reforms, the National Conference of State Legislatures said on Monday.

snip

The education law passed under former President George W. Bush and known as No Child Left Behind created a system of standards by which schools and school districts would be judged and federal funding awarded.

The law has been criticized for having lengthy and impossible standards and for inadvertently punishing poor performing schools by withholding money.

Last week Education Secretary Arne Duncan said the administration will change the standards when the law is renewed and increase requirements for how schools report on achieving those standards. It will also dedicate "unprecedented resources" to rewarding schools that attain those standards while focusing on improving the "bottom 1 percent" of schools, he said.

But for the legislatures' group, "neither federal top-down mandates nor categorical and competitive grant resources have significantly affected student achievement."

The group contends that local school districts and states are closer to students' lives and understand their needs better, while the U.S. government is too removed.

"If we continue on our current policy path, federal resources, which now account for slightly more than 7 percent of the enterprise, will drag the entire system into the rabbit-hole world where compliance with federal dictums masquerades as reforms," the group said.

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/02/01-8

[mzteris]

although -

if the "Feds" hadn't of gotten involved, most schools would still be OFFICIALLY segregated. (though in practice, most traditional school districting accomplishes the same thing. :( )

[DJ13]

1. Who would unrec this?

[mzteris]

2. i swear it wasn't me!

:)

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. I did

This law is the single worst piece of legislation in my lifetime. Obama needs to throw it out, not expand it.

[whistler162]

17. Probably the same one who tried to highjack

the thread by complaining about the unrec!

[Freddie Stubbs]

3. If states REALLY wanted the federal government out of education, they could simple stop accepting

federal education money.

[vaberella]

4. Basically. n/t

[johnaries]

5. Exactly. Which is only ONE reason the OP's tagline is disingenuous.

The OP is clearly trying to extend the disproven "Obama=Bush" meme, but unlike the Bush policy Obama is addressing the concern's of educators and, very much unlike Bush, is actually FUNDING it.

This is obviously NOT Bush's "No Child Left Unfunded" policy. But a sincere attempt to improve education nationally.

[mzteris]

6. not to hear most people in here

yelling about education. They think Obama is a Republican sock-puppet and Arne Duncan is the devil incarnate. Assisted of course by his Mistress of Evil - Michelle Rhee.

I'd :rofl: but it's really not all that funny 'cause that's really what these DU'ers think!!! And anyone disagreeing with them gets accused of being a paid shill freeper troll! :eyes:

[proud2BlibKansan]

9. Obama is absolutely NOT addressing the concerns of educators

That is downright funny.

[LWolf]

18. "Addressing the concerns of educators?"

In whose fantasy world is Obama addressing our concerns?

Obama's agenda is, if possible, even MORE anti-teacher than the previous administration. Or maybe it just feels worse coming from a Democrat.

[marshall]

28. Does everything Obama does have to be a complete 180 from Bush?

Just for the sake of being a polar opposite? That doesn't make sense to me.

[LWolf]

31. When Bush was wrong, Obama shouldn't be continuing his destructive policies.

Bush was wrong on education.

So is Obama.

We'd like to see that "change."

[proud2BlibKansan]

8. And use what to run the schools?

Federal dollars are a huge part of urban and rural district budgets. We honestly can't afford to stay open in my district without federal programs.

[Freddie Stubbs]

29. State taxes. Local taxes.

If education really a priority of Kansans, they will find a ways to pay for it.

[proud2BlibKansan]

10. Much worse than Bush

This law under Bush was bad enough. But Obama is making it worse.

Sure he is putting money out there BUT first states have to compete for the funds. And not with test scores or other achievement measures, but by making promises that violate existing state laws (like getting rid of tenure). Then IF the state gets the funding, districts will have to compete for the money. And again, achievement is not the criteria. Districts are being asked to make plans for programs that are NOT research backed but trendy. (The current criteria is if Arne likes it, it's a go.) Districts that are currently laying off teachers and discontinuing programs due to budget cuts will be asked to implement brand new programs, hire people (many non teaching positions), buy expensive materials and then cross their fingers while filling out a gazillion page application and hope they are awarded the funding to pay for these new programs.

I can't even describe in words how bad this law is now.

[proud2BlibKansan]

11. AND there are no plans to eliminate the 100% mandate

NCLB says that by 2014, 100% of our children will be proficient in Reading and Math. States are allowed to define proficient. In my state, proficient means on grade level.

So that kid in the wheelchair who was hit by a car when he was 4 and has irreversible brain damage is expected to work on grade level.

And that kid whose mom drank every day of her pregnancy, causing severe fetal alcohol syndrome, will be expected to read just as well as the other kids in his class.

Then there are the kids who don't speak English. And the kids with severe learning disabilities.

100% have to be at grade level.

There are no plans to change that mandate.

We are currently experiencing the 100% must be tested mandate. A school in my district was penalized a couple years ago because one of their students was in the hospital dying. Yep, they were expected to test him too! And when the principal decided to do the right thing and not test the kid, his school was penalized.

I can barely put into words how truly awful this law is. And yes, this alone is enough to turn me away from Obama.

[Vidar]

12. The Bush doctrine was a clear attack on public education & Obama is

continuing this nefarious process.

[emsimon33]

15. Unfortunately, he is

[NavyMom]

13. It is not take over but insurance....my 14 yr old tutors some high school

and college students for goodness sake, the teachers need to have accountability along with responsibility for the job they perform. It serves NO ONE when teachers just pass kids to get "rid" of them or to make them appear as though they are doing a good job. My son will have enough money from tutoring math and science, he does very well with the high school or college kids but if they waste his time by not putting forth an effort (his words) he will no longer tutor them. Fortunately for me his brother is proficient in math/science (he is an officer in USNavy) so if he gets stuck he can email or call him for help (if he wants to pass, LOL) with either his homework or helping someone else.

Down here in TX slick rick along with w is determined to keep our kids stupid which is why we sent our kids to private school, yes it is a sacrifice but it will have an enormous gain for them if the are determine to attend college outside TX.

[proud2BlibKansan]

20. So you think I should be held accountable because my student failed

after being out of school for 6 months?

True story. Family moved out of town in May, kids were never enrolled in school. Family came back in December and enrolled kids in school. One of them is my student. He failed quarterly assessments in every subject area last week.

You are going to have to explain why I should be held accountable for his test scores.

And yes I will give him a failing grade but that doesn't mean he won't be promoted to the next grade level.

I also take it you don't know that teachers have been the loudest voice AGAINST social promotion for several decades now. I also have no idea where you came up with the notion that we just pass kids so it looks like we are doing a good job. As if it was really that simple!!

[NavyMom]

26. It comes from seeing kids barely knowing how to read in high shcool,

there are 5 teachers in my family and each year in my nephew Math or English class he has someone no where near high school level. The teachers AGAINST social promotion is in the minority, if the child you mentioned will be not pass your class so how is he being promoted and by whom? Parents AND teachers have to accept responsibility for our kids education, my sister made the school retain her daughter since she did not know any of the material during the 6th grade. Another niece made the school retain her son for the same reason, but he was out for medical, but they for some reason decided to pass him TWICE.

It is not an idea, it is reality...when my son & I volunteer to tutor, too many of those kids were just passed along to keep up the graduate rate, so maybe you see them in the classroom but I see them 4 times a week just teaching them how to read while my son is doing the exact same thing.

[emsimon33]

14. K&R but still below "0"--what gives?

[proud2BlibKansan]

21. If I could unrec 100 times I would

[emsimon33]

30. Why? Why unrecommend.

[boppers]

16. Not rewarding poor performance is... punishment?

This whole issue is bizarre. Teachers are opposed to... grading?

[proud2BlibKansan]

19. We feel this country has a moral obligation to fund its schools fairly

Making them compete for funding they should be receiving anyway is devastating to districts that rely on federal programs for survival.

This has nothing to do with grading. It's about doing what's best for kids. Failing to equitably fund their schools is not what's best for our kids.

[boppers]

22. Making children, and teachers, compete for grades is wrong?

I think that baseline funding and education is essential, but where I get lost is when an assumption is made that a teacher "A" who denigrated a child's reading level should be equated with teacher "B" who doubled a child's reading level.

The problem (as I understand it) is that teacher "A" is complaining that they're not being funded, but teachers like that should be *taxed*, not funded.

That being said, I think it's time for our schools to stop funding non-academic pursuits, which should (hopefully) save some money.

[proud2BlibKansan]

23. It's not about competing for grades, it's about competing for money

[boppers]

24. It's about grades that determine money.

Bad grades = no money.

[proud2BlibKansan]

25. But why do grades have to determine money?

We should support our schools and offer an excellent education to all of our children.

How about making schools compete for the extras, like sports . . they should not have to compete to provide the basics.

[FrenchieCat]

27. Amborin.....

You won't have to worry about Obama must longer!

[Freddie Stubbs]

32. He has almost three years left in his term