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EDUCATION POSTION PAPER
By Dennis Spivack
I am opposed to the “No Child Left Behind Act” (“Act”). First, it has never been fully funded. Secondly, even if it had been fully funded, the Act does not (i) recognize the different needs of children coming from various households; and (ii) it does not incorporate the role currently undertaken by teachers and schools in our society. Furthermore, the Act focuses much too heavily on test results for validation. While the goal underlying the Act of bringing every child up to the same level was a noble one, the Act fails in its implementation.
I believe that any comprehensive education legislation should require, first and foremost, the input of the “first responders in education” – our teachers, rather than the input of politicians and administrators.
It is the teachers who have told me that the Act does not provide sufficient time nor resources to allow them to do what they are mandated to do. Some teachers pointed out that the Act requires special education students to be able to reach the same required level as other students in the same grade. These teachers have said that such expectations are unrealistic as many special education students do not have the capacity to reach the targeted goal. What these teachers have recommended is preparing an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) for students which would measure the progress of that student throughout the course of their education.
The current test used in our schools which is known as MAP measures only academic progress. It determines how much each student knows, not how much that student has grown. If teachers are to be held accountable, it would appear that the IEP rather than the MAP would be a better gauge of what a teacher has been able to accomplish with each student. It must be remembered that teachers start with children at the intellectual, emotional and social levels at which those children arrive in the classroom. Thus, children who come to school from more stable households automatically have an advantage.
The challenge is how to address the needs of children coming from backgrounds across the spectrum. Many of those children need to learn both social and emotional skills to learn how to interact with other students and teachers.
Some students come from households where one or both parents are teenagers. This situation has its own unique set of issues both for the child and for the young parent. So the basic reality is that more and more demands are being placed upon schools and their faculties. Teachers are having to assume the role of mother, father, healthcare provider, counselor and social worker in addition to the role of teacher. While most politicians try to ignore this fact, the reality is much different.
Education is the key to the future of our Country; education is the great equalizer. It can provide our children with hope and opportunity. Teachers in school are being asked to supplement what many of these children do not get from home. Children can be inspired; they can realize their potential and be provided with the skills to become productive members of their communities.
Education is not just an education issue – it is an economic one as well. For every dollar spent on education for a child in this Country, savings can be realized in the future across the board ranging from less dollars allocated for welfare, healthcare or prisons. This shows that we have a choice. We can either fund education on the front end, or prisons on the back end. I think it is more prudent and wise to invest in our children’s future, rather than punishing them later as a result of our failure to provide an education system that addresses their educational, social and mental needs.
The key to formulating a comprehensive program for each school or school district rests with the teachers. Those teachers need to be more empowered, not only in creating curriculum for their own classes, but also in the operation of the schools in which they teach. Reducing the number of administrators in our school systems, and using that money to increase the amount of teachers we need, as well as their pay, is essential. We should strive to provide the same flexibility for teachers and accountability of teachers in public schools as are currently available to teachers in charter school programs. We must also recognize the value of alternatives to public schools such as private, parochial and charter schools realizing that there is a place for such schools. The goal must be to challenge each student to reach that student’s potential and beyond.
These goals are achievable. The only requirement is a genuine investment in education. That investment would not be just financial, but would also require teachers, administrators, parents, and governmental leaders to embrace the concept of a comprehensive yet flexible education program for students, in which all of them – not just the teachers – would be held accountable.
As a start, we can study programs both at the local and national levels that are working. Those programs need to be scrutinized to find out why and how they are successful. For instance, locally, Nativity Prep takes inner-city children and educates them to a level so that they can be placed in the top private schools upon graduation.
While the enrollment is limited and the students do not pay tuition, we should find out what it would cost to duplicate the Nativity Prep program. In addition, Nativity Prep has engaged parents and has those parents make a commitment in connection with their child’s education. There is also a summer school camp program that is an integral part of the overall curriculum.
Nationally, there are programs such as the Harlem Project which strives to level the playing field for children in a sixty square block area in Harlem in New York City. The training is very intensive from preschool to high school with supplemental programs available before and after the school day. Part of the Harlem Project is to have social workers available to do an outreach into the community especially to assist teen parents in learning parenting skills. Opportunities are also made available for those teen parents to try to finish school themselves. Finally, the Kipp Program has schools around the country in inner-city areas which are attaining favorable results and should be expanded to help more individuals.
The core problem with the No Child Left Behind Act is its use of testing as the sole means for determining the success of the student, as well as the performance of the teacher and the entire school. First, some children do not test well. Secondly, some teachers spend as much as six weeks during the school year preparing for the test. Thirdly, by putting such an emphasis on testing, we are ignoring the creativity that lies within each child, and the development of that creativity is an even more vital component of education than facts stuffed into a student’s head. Subjects such as music, art, and shop encourage students to be creative and enhance the overall educational experience.
Coupled with creativity is the development of critical thinking skills. Students entering the workforce today and in the future must know how to reinvent themselves and compete in an increasingly competitive global society. It is most important that students learn how to think and learn on their own. These tools will ultimately turn out to be their survival skills
I recently attended a robotics class at Cedar Lane Elementary School in Middletown, and I was absolutely astounded at what these students could do. In the same week, I spoke to the third grade class at Pulaski Elementary School in Wilmington, and was again taken aback at the questions and comments they put to me about things that affected their lives and their perception of how government should work.
I also toured The Charter School of Wilmington. I spoke to students and faculty as to how the curriculum was structured to challenge students in the areas of science and mathematics. I do not believe it is unrealistic to think that we can do so much more with our education system. I have talked with teachers up and down the State who are committed to their students. Let us tap their knowledge, resources, enthusiasm and foresight. Let’s really develop an education program for the 21st Century.
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