No Child Left Behind (My Ass)

In the commentary “What is it all coming to” On the student blog “Critical Government”, the author addresses the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) act and the emphasis on the TAKS test. I not only concur with their conclusions, I think the issue goes even deeper. Here is my additional food for thought.

As a father of two young children of 4 and 6, in pre-K and Kindergarten respectively, I can attest to the absolute hysteria the schools go into when it comes time to test for the TAKS. This last week when the tests were in progress the elementary school we attend was on total lockdown; like a prison with an escape in progress. No parents and no volunteers were allowed on campus and the children were not even allowed to leave the building for recess on the playground!

I’m sorry, this just reeks of a completely out of control, one-size-fits-all solution to an issue with so many facets that it makes the hope diamond look smoother than the lens of the Hubble telescope.

First off, each school has to deal with the individual social elements of their districts. Regardless of race, upper and middle class districts will statistically have better performance than districts of lower incomes. This is due to the influence of better educated parents as well as the lack of many of the social ills that effect lower income neighborhoods. Johnny #1 who has parents who read to him and a full time mom is going to do much better in school than Johnny #2 whose parents both work full time, and sometime more than 1 job. That is if they aren’t drunk or engaged in crime. Now, many kids do overcome this type of background and go on to college, but they are the exceptional A personality types. Regardless of the support they receive at school, many do fall into the trappings of the society they live in and that is a social problem, not an educational one.

Instead of pumping more support to these schools and societies, we brand them as failing, release their teachers and terminate their administrators, the very people who probably understand the students… then wonder why they are still failing. In 2009, 73,000 students were in “failing” public schools across South Carolina. Of those 73,000, 92% were from low income families and 77% were African American. “Students Trapped in Failing Schools”

Compounding this problem, the NCLB act sets an achievement goal that goes up every year leading up to 100% achievement by the 2013-14 school year. Thus, as the goal gets higher, each year more schools are labeled as failing. In California, 2010 ushered in a year where, for the first time, over 50% of schools failed to achieve the target percentage. It is predicted that by 2013, 100% of California schools serving low income populations will be labeled as failing. “Number of Failing Schools Increase”

Second, the NCLB act makes the erroneous assumption that every child should, and is capable of, leaving high school ready for college. When I went to school in the 80’s, the schools taught basic everyday things everyone should know. Basic math, reading comprehension, writing, how to write a check, balance your bank account etc. The girls usually took Home Economics; the boys took shop or Agriculture. Advanced classes were there for those going on to college, and basic living skills and trades were there for those that were not. Not everyone has the same IQ, the same aptitudes or the same ambitions in life. Many of us went on to college or trade schools and work in corporate America. Many got out, got working class jobs and started making babies. Going back home, sometimes I suspect many of the latter have lead just as happy if not happier lives. Now, we try and pump everyone through college and many trades are suffering because of the lack of new people entering the fields and the upcoming retirement of older workers. “Jobs available if you have the skills”

Many countries like the Dutch split their educational system at a certain year, teaching either trades or college prep. The Dutch split theirs at age 12 using the results of both an aptitude test and the preference of the parents and student. Here in the US we demand pre-college of all students, which in turn causes those without a pre-college aptitude to drop out of the system without any kind of diploma, actually leaving more children behind, not less.

You can pass all the laws you want but you can’t legislate a perfect world. At some point you have to pull your head out of the clouds and deal with the realities on the ground. At the same time that entitlements for the poor are under attack, we are demanding more of the children of the affected families under pressure and not giving them the skills they need to make a living.

This is a prime example of what happens when the legislators are detached socially from the general populace and do not have a realistic perspective of peoples everyday lives. If they want to support education, give the schools the support but let the decisions be made at the local level as to what is needed and how to do it. We don’t make our children with cookie cutters and we shouldn’t try to educate them with one.

Confessions of an Elf

Sigh…

I would have really preferred writing on some subject, any subject, other than the “Birther” conspiracy issue… but despite the idiocy of the subject and all the other troubles our country is facing, it still won’t go away. Even after President Obama presented his long form birth certificate it is still in the news.

I seldom use terms like idiotic to describe an opposing viewpoint, as it is rather disrespectful and name calling is a tactic usually employed by those lacking facts to back up their opinions. But in this case I really can’t think of a more fitting word to describe it.

This is one of the stories I had pretty much followed just by scanning the headlines. It had the scent of one of the attack tactics the right wing has become known for and I was pretty sure they were severely distorting some trivial fact to arrive at their opinion. Once I chose it as a topic though I decided to go ahead and find out exactly what they were basing their claim on.

I examined the Constitutional requirements for presidential citizenship “ Qualifications to be President”, the legal history of the definition of a natural born citizen “ Natural Born Citizen”, looked up the birthers claims and steps that had been taken to counter them. “ Conspiracy Theories”

Low and behold, I couldn’t find anything. Nothing. Not a single fact or document pointed to anything credible at all, even if twisted.

I also find it unbelievable that an aspiring candidate like Trump would even dare take this up as a cause. It might have endeared him to the few extremists at the fringe, but for me it really brings into question not only his intelligence but his ability to lead responsibly.

My conclusion is that Obama has a valid Birth Certificate proving he is a natural born US citizen, the same “short form” document that I have used my entire life to prove my citizenship and identity. Granted, my certificate has never come under the scrutiny his has. Looking mine over, I see the postmark from Olean, NY used in 1966… containing the words “Queen City of the Enchanted Mountains”.

O.k…. I’m an Elf, I admit it.



Additional Links:
Birthers attempt to manipulate Obama's mother:
“ Phone Recording”