No Child Left Behind could claim another victim
I received a link to this story in an email and I just had to write about it. I have been critic of the No Child Left Behind program that was created by Bush and the Republican led congress.
The story was about a middle school in Austin, Texas that was facing possible closing by the school district for failure to meet testing standards relating to No Child Left Behind.
The middle school is named Webb Middle School and it happens to be in a predominantly low income area in Austin and it also has a what they call a high turn over of residents. This high turnover of residence leads to a revolving door effect to the school. Because of the high turn over of students the school has failed to improve its standardized test scores over three years and according to the No Child Left Behind program the state can order the school district to close Webb Middle School or order alternative management for the school.
Here is the part of the story that makes me so angry as a parent of three school age kids; the school district want to close it down instead of fixing the problems.
More than 200 parents of students that attend Webb Middle School showed up at the middle school to voice their anger for the proposed closing of the school. A big part of their dismay with the plan is that the two schools that their kids will be bussed to are not any better (test scores wise)than Webb is. So it makes no sense to close down one school and send kids to other schools in the district that aren't much better than the one they are closing.
It seems to me that because Webb Middle School is in a predominently low income area they aren't concerned with fixing the problems that are causing the test scores to be low, instead they want to shut the school down and bus the kids across town to other middle schools in Austin.
As a parent I feel this is just an example of the school district reacting to the failed No Child Left Behind program forced on them by President Bush. The states and school districts say that it is an unfunded mandate and therefor it is impossible for them to implement. I agree with their assessment, however it is our kids all across the country that are suffering. I feel instead of just throwing up their collective hands they need to become more creative in how they make up for the lack of Federal dollars.
posted by George @ 7:19 AM
4 Comments
4 Comments:
I wrote about the same school in my blog today.
http://frecklescassie.wordpress.com/
Just my two bits' worth, but from the get-go, Your Correspondent has been of the suspicion that the "real" meaning of "No Child Left Behind" was "--in public education."
As in basically blackmailing the likes of lower-income and "chronically welfare-dependent" families into pulling their children from public schools and accept tuition vouchers for religio-sectarian private schools (or otherwise in homeschooling) "to develop a healthy and proper moral compass" somehow seen by conservative Zealots and True Believers as "lacking among the Lower Classes."
The which can easily be blamed on welfare, if their propaganda is to be trusted.
No Child Left Behind: One of the biggest fiascos in education I have seen take place in a LONG time. What has it accomplished? Not a damn thing...instead, we only see more and more things taking place such as the example you have provided here in this post. Thanks for sharing it.
It is pretty sad, this is the best thing that they could come up with. I think the federal government should be in a support role instead of making ridiculous mandates.
Let the states come up with plans to educate our kids and if they need more money than they can ask the Federal Government for money.
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