"No Child Left Behind"

The Register Citizen - News - 04/10/2005 - NCLB battle gains statewide support

2005-05-07T21:04:00.000-07:00

The Register Citizen - News - 04/10/2005 - NCLB battle gains statewide support

Softening of 'No Child Left Behind' | csmonitor.com

2005-05-03T16:35:00.000-07:00

Softening of 'No Child Left Behind' | csmonitor.com

The NCLB Act is drawing the majority of its criticism from the mandate that teachers must have demonstrated competence in core academic subjects. All schools are required to have "highly qualified" teachers in core academic subjects by the 2005-2006 school year. Imposing this rule basically boils down to educators being forced to obtain the necessary training and education or find another profession to work within.

How can students excel if they are not being led by example, students deserve highly qualified teachers, who can produce highly qualified results the two should go together collectively.

The Daily Herald: Your town. Your neighbors. Your Newspaper. - IN OUR VIEW Utah's education rebellion

2005-05-02T20:59:00.000-07:00

The Daily Herald: Your town. Your neighbors. Your Newspaper. - IN OUR VIEW Utah's education rebellion

It's a win for the state of Utah! The state legislatures approved the implementation of the Utah Performance Assessment System for students (UPASS) the new standard by which students progress will be measured a new system which will replace the NCLB Act which has failed to work within the Utah public school system as that of many other states. The system is being regarded by school officials as much more realistic and better than the NCLB Act allowing students to be measured against themselves, offering a more realistic approach to educational progression based on individual previous test results. Utah's triumph in implementing the UPASS system just may give other states the encouragement to develop and pass laws that are more specific and beneficial to the immediate concerns and needs of the people.

NCLB Criticism Expands in Minnesota : March 2005 : ARN-L

2005-05-01T19:16:00.000-07:00

NCLB Criticism Expands in Minnesota : March 2005 : ARN-L

Minnesota may actually be the first state to withdraw from the NCLB campaign, basically concluding that enough is enough. The Senate Education Committee has unanimously decided to adopt a bill to end their participation within the program and for go any federal funds received as a part of the educational initiative.

State legislators are in agreement that the NCLB Act intrudes into local education affairs and sets unreasonable expectations for schools to accomplish.

The Seattle Times: Opinion: Throwing money at education will not lead to reform

2005-04-28T22:05:00.000-07:00

The Seattle Times: Opinion: Throwing money at education will not lead to reform

"Spending more money on a broken system will not fix the problem, it will make it bigger".

-Marsha Richards
Seattle Times Columnist

The NCLB Tipping Point

2005-04-27T20:08:00.000-07:00

The NCLB Tipping Point

As a resident of the State of Illinois I am quite concerned that data was left out for Illinois by The Council Of Chief State School Officers. Interestingly the state of Texas has witnessesd an increasingly large number of student drop outs within the last few years.

BBC NEWS | Education | Poor 'need more school support'

2005-04-26T17:25:00.000-07:00

BBC NEWS Education Poor 'need more school support'

According to reports from the BBC internationally other countries are racing crises as well in their public school educational systems. Philanthropist Sir Peter Lampl, who has commissioned a study on the economically disadvantaged stated, school is a "choice" which is applied to the affluent population. The main political parties in Britain say the schools would improve if children has better access to good schools.

Students send military recruiters packing

2005-04-26T10:17:00.000-07:00

http://www.pww.org/article/articleview/6854/1/265

College Students at the University of California- Santa Cruz decided to take action against the recruiting efforts of representatives from the Army, Navy, and Marines who had set up tables during the annual Career Fair located within the community. The majority of the protesting was conducted and organized by a local campus group called Students Against War (SAW), taunting slogans like "Education not occupation", indicating that the students were adamant about making their own personal choices and did not want decisions made on their behalf.

Schools say low test scores by small groups skew results

2005-04-24T09:23:00.000-07:00

Schools say low test scores by small groups skew results

The NCLB act in theory is a plan that has the capabilities of strengthening the education and curriculum of many public school children, however if we are only concentrating on the students who are high achievers there will continue to be children who are left behind.

Larry Golembieski the superintendent at Ringgold School District located in Pennsylvania feel that, the "subgroup" rating system is unfair and plan to appeal the low ratings Riggold Middle School received. Golembieski attributes the majority of the low scores to those who come from low income families and a defined set of subgroups.

By state definition, those subgroups are:

Students enrolled in special education.

Students with limited English language skills.

Black students.

American Indian or Alaskan students.

Hispanic or Latino students.

Asian/Pacific Islander students.

Poor or "economically disadvantaged" students

These "subgroups" are in fact reasons why there needs to be a No Child Left Behind policy that forces school administrators to deal with the large pool of students who are not achieving according to standards and provide them with the proper resources and support for continued advancement as that of their peers.

Temper Tantrum

2005-04-23T21:23:00.000-07:00

http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/news/article.adp?id=20050423071009990003&ncid=NWS00010000000001

I'll let you be the judge of this one! Have we lost focus on exactly what our roles are as teachers, administrators, and supporters? Granted this youung lady featured in this story was beyond out of control, but handcuffing a five year old concerns me? Could this be just a little too extreme? I'm wondering exactly where does police intervention coincide with the No Child left Behind Act, or is this a part of the accountability strategy that has been set forth by the NCLB steering committee?

Analysis: New NCLB policy has foes - (United Press International)

2005-04-21T21:38:00.000-07:00

Analysis: New NCLB policy has foes - (United Press International)

More and more states are beginning to stand up and charge the Bush Administration for being responsible and accountable in assisting school officials with the proper tools and resources for successfully educating millions of students who must matriculate through the public school educational system.

Law suits have been filed and criticism has been said concerned parents, teachers, and school officials can no longer stand by while the American public school system progressively goes down the drain. Millions of tax dollars are emptied into the public educational fund system concerned school officials and interested parties now want the NCLB initiators to live up to their end of the bargain.

'Don't call us, we'll call you' !

2005-04-19T10:35:00.000-07:00

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/chi-0504170171apr17,1,2524792.story

An update to my previous posting indicating that as a stipulation of public schools to receive the funding to support the No Child Left Behind Act, the school's administration must provide the government with names and addresses of students to ensure they are registered with the Selective Service.

CNN.com - New flexibility for No Child Left Behind - Apr 6, 2005

2005-04-18T21:00:00.000-07:00

CNN.com - New flexibility for No Child Left Behind - Apr 6, 2005

The US Education Department is on the verge of developing new strategies in support of changing the way schools are held accountable for progress towards the No Child Left Behind Act. This may actually be a great step towards closing the achievement gap between millions of students that are not performing up to state standards.

Under the new provisions certain states will be allowed more flexibility in how they test children. The individual states that will be allowed these freedoms must prove that they have gained progress in educational achievements, or they shown a commitment to implementing the NCLB standards.

Oregonlive.com: Search

2005-04-17T19:00:00.000-07:00

Oregonlive.com: Search

Well...This is certainly disturbing news. Oregon State lawmakers have been accused of "rigging" the budget for school funding by allocating a knowingly insufficient amount of money towards senior services, nursing programs, public services, and higher education, just to name a few. Essentially all of the programs willl have to fight for a piece of the pie in the funding dollars. The allocating of monies is now boiling down to a either or type situation, which takes weight from the law officials at placing the blame on them directly.

If this is the case where is the funding promised by the No Child Left Behind Act? Why are the lawmakers scrambling for resources all out of one pool? Or if a check has been cut through the NCLB Act where is the money or who did it go to?

Boston.com / News / Local / Charter school foes turn up heat

2005-04-16T22:00:00.000-07:00

Boston.com / News / Local / Charter school foes turn up heat

1,116 city teachers flunk out

2005-04-15T21:20:00.000-07:00

1,116 city teachers flunk out

I am struggling with the fact if the new mandate for Chicago Public School principals to fire teachers at the click of a mousepad is going to help or hurt the goal of strengthen the education for many children attending public school. If we are experiencing such a dilemma in acquiring teachers that are highly qualified and capable of leading our children to success. Are we really all that surprised that many of these children are not excelling given the examples they are being led by.

Accountability is a collective effort.

Program gets 'Average Joe' students on college track

2005-04-14T20:31:00.000-07:00

Program gets 'Average Joe' students on college track

A little intervention goes a long way as indicated by Joshua Quinones who was one a product of the Chicago Public School system. Quinones, has made a successful transition from elementary school to the high school environment with the assistance of a program called (AVID) Advancement Via Individual Determination. The AVID program is offered to students as a developmental plan to assist students who are earning mediocre grades.

Unlike the NCLB Act the AVID program does not just emphasize funding issues, the program is designed to assist students with excelling in their high school courses, while also planning for transition to college after their high school curriculum has been completed.

NEA: Budget Should Reflect Americans' Values

2005-04-13T18:30:00.000-07:00

NEA: Budget Should Reflect Americans' Values

Government officials and school administrators are both in agreement that a large portion of federal funding should be invested into America's public school school system. But, if "we" are in the midst of reducing federal funds and grants then how can we live up to those standards?

Many students are in need of this support to obtain a quality education in which they might not receive otherwise. Students need the proper guidance, education, and funding to build a solid foundation in which they may contribute back to society.

REFORM WITHOUT FINANCE IS A NUISANCE!

The Performance Gap

2005-04-12T16:56:00.000-07:00

The Performance Gap

We have heard about the crisis of the No Child Left Behind Act excluding America's children from a successful educational process. But, many educators are feeling at this point they are beginning to be left behind as well.

Charter School Concepts

2005-04-05T13:15:00.000-07:00

http://www.edreform.com/index.cfm?fuseAction=document&documentID=595

Choice and accountability appear to be the key premises surrounding charter school systems. The charter school environment has been regarded as an educational system that provided students with the necessary curriculum and resources in which many of the public schools have failed to provide. According to the Center for Education Reform, the success of American charter schools have largely been in part because of the dedicated organizers who are too busy teaching rather than supporting their own efforts.

NPR : 'No Child Left Behind' Criticism Widespread

2005-04-03T21:29:00.000-07:00

NPR : 'No Child Left Behind' Criticism Widespread

Currently, it now appears that the NCLB Act is receiving equal opportunity criticism. No longer is the Act reduced to a Republican or Democratic issue the plan is being reduced to a theme of false promises and poor planning by members of both political parties.

HGSE News: No Child Left Behind? Milli Pierce Responds to President Bush's Education Bill

2005-03-30T20:17:00.000-08:00

HGSE News: No Child Left Behind? Milli Pierce Responds to President Bush's Education Bill

A very powerful commentary! Look for more upcoming information to examine the pro's and cons of the Charter School system and school vouchers. Is Professor Milli Pierce disgruntled or does she have a legitimate gripe?

Illinois Schools, Illinois Public Schools, Illinois School Districts - SchoolMatters

2005-03-30T20:11:00.000-08:00

Illinois Schools, Illinois Public Schools, Illinois School Districts - SchoolMatters

School Matters provides statistical data on almost every states National Report Card.

Democracy Now! | No Child Left Behind: A Debate on the Privatization of Education

2005-03-28T20:17:00.000-08:00

Democracy Now! | No Child Left Behind: A Debate on the Privatization of Education

The above link is from an interesting daily radio and TV news program called "Democracy Now". There is actual audio footage provided about the on going debate of the percieved failures of the NCLB Act since its inception. Again, the voucher system comes into play and is being criticized for its lack of progress, and threat to deplete even more additional dollars from the public school systems.

NCTM: News & Media: No Child Left Behind�What It Means to Teachers (November 2002)

2005-03-27T19:58:00.000-08:00

NCTM: News & Media: No Child Left Behind�What It Means to Teachers (November 2002)

The premises of the NCLB Act is that schools will be held accountable for the academic achievement of all students. If NCLB represents a "new" public policy, then what were the guidelines before?

Arizona State Senate favor school voucher system

2005-03-25T11:24:00.000-08:00

The Arizona State Senate are in favor of passing Bill 1506, which would provide monetary assistance in the form of vouchers for elementary and high school students to attend participating private schools within the state.

Opposing parties are very concerned that the voucher system will deplete funds from the public school system, and only provide additional resources for private school systems which is a direct contradiction of the NCLB Act. Democartic Gov. Janet Napolitano who has consisitently opposed vouchers is expected to veto the Senates decision.

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0315vouchers15.html

New York Post Online Edition: news

2005-03-24T21:16:00.000-08:00

New York Post Online Edition: news

The NCLB Act according to the New York Post's citywide statistics has cited that the number of failing school districts in the city has risen by more than half than that of three years ago. While some school's are making remarkable progress many are still left behind.

State Board of Education releases 2003-2004 State School Report Card

2005-03-23T21:44:00.000-08:00

State Board of Education releases 2003-2004 State School Report Card

The Superintendant of the State of Illinois school system applauded the NCLB act for making tremendous progress during the 2003-2004 shool year according to the individual school report card statistics. However, also indicated in the news release is the popular acknowledgement that there is still much more room left for improvement surrounding the act to truly reform the American public school system.

NCLB History & Principles

2005-03-21T16:40:00.000-08:00

What the No Child Left Behind Act means to you...

On January 8, 2002, President Bush signed into law the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). This legislation includes the federal support states and localities receive for eligible schools known as Title I.

NCLB requires that every state and school district develop and implement standards, assessments, and an accountability system in reading, mathematics, and science. By the year 2005-2006, students in grades 3-8 must be assessed annually in reading and mathematics. By 2007-2008, they must also be assessed in science.

The No Child Left Behind legislation incorporates four guiding principles:

1. Focus on What Works
2. Accountability for Student Performance
3. Highly Qualified Staff
4. Empower Parents

Military Recruiting linked to the NCLB Act

2005-03-21T16:11:00.000-08:00

http://www.wagingpeace.org/articles/2002/11/21_milligan_military-recruiters.htm

Ah Ha! Now we are beginning to expose exactly how politics can play an integral role in having a key stake in pushing the No Child Left Behind Act. It appears to be that school administrations are required to provide personal student data to military recruiters as a provision to receiving funds allocated to improve the quality of education in under served school systems.

"Failing Promises"

2005-03-21T15:02:00.000-08:00

According to the Center for American progress, a nonpartisan research and educational research group the No Child Left Behind Act is leaving millions of children behind by not providing the full funding as promised when the law was originally signed by the president.

http://www.americanprogress.org/site/pp.asp?c=biJRJ8OVF&b=44515

130 Pa. superintendents criticize No Child Left Behind (phillyBurbs.com)

2005-03-20T20:26:00.000-08:00

130 Pa. superintendents criticize No Child Left Behind (phillyBurbs.com)

Over one-hundered and thirty Pennsylvannia school superintendants criticized the NCLB act for its lack of proper funding and unrealistic expectations placed on public school administrations.

MedillNewsDC : States criticize No Child Left Behind

2005-03-20T20:25:00.000-08:00

MedillNewsDC : States criticize No Child Left Behind

"Show Me The Money"

Apparently a group of about sixteen U.S. State Legislaters are not impressed with the progress of the NCLB Act, and is challenging the Bush Administration to deliver the financial and educational resources required to make the NCLB policy a success. Otherwise, they have made it clear that they do not wish to have anymore of thier time and efforts wasted on a plan that seems to sound good in theory.

LP: No Child Left Behind takes big hit

2005-03-08T17:26:00.000-08:00

LP: No Child Left Behind takes big hit

The National Conference of State Legislatures has given the "No Child Left Behind Act", a failing grade of "F" for its impractical goals and potential abilities to stifle innovation in school curriculums, while also threatening the prospects of retaining exceptional teachers within the American public school system.

Classroom Learning

2005-03-08T16:23:00.000-08:00

"Caught on Tape"-Opinion Payola

2005-03-02T20:59:00.000-08:00

http://sayanythingblog.com/2005/01/07/bribery/

In a failed miserable attempt tp promote the "No Child Left Behind Act", President Bush paid Armstrong Williams an African-American commentator, a reported sum of $240, 000 to promote the law on his nationally syndicated television show, while urging other prominent African-Americans figures to do the same throughout the media.

-What's in the dark shall eventually come to the light....

" Nearly Every School District in America Left Behind"

2005-03-01T16:31:00.000-08:00

As an example to illustrate the deficiencies of President Bush's No Child Left Behind Act the Children's Defense fund released a detailed analysis http://www.childrensdefense.org/pressreleases/040430.asp urging the Bush Administration to re-evaluate their priorities and promises as the public school reform plan was initially advertised.

Issues - No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, H.R. 1

2005-02-22T18:08:00.000-08:00

Issues - No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, H.R. 1: "Link to Department of Education's No Child Left Behind Site"