For all the hype and fanfare who follows through on these big plans? The link to cnn below exposes such a failed plan that little has been said about-
http://www.cnn.com/2003/EDUCATION/01/28/transferring.back.ap/index.html
A failed Bush education plan...
by kelsey007 5 Replies latest jw friends
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Guest 77
Kelsey007, this morning's news clip had him spouting, peace, peace.
Did you get to read the last paragraph of that article? What's this 'one' left over going to do '..in the event that something catastrophic happend at the Capitol?'
Guest 77
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ThiChi
Wow, no national data, just a few handpicked cases. What is a better alternative? There is none. At least something different is being tried than just the same old failed system that has been put in place for the last fifty years. The jury is still out regarding the Bush plan.
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joannadandy
Umm...there is far more to it, and reasons that logistically this can't work, and that is a very tempory solution, if it can even be seen as a solution at all.
Yes this is a personal story that details kids who don't want to change, but if you did some more digging you would find plenty of more facts and figures (if that's your thing) that shows how this won't work. I encourage everyone to look at this issue a little bit closer, because this is only the begininng of protests against this program.
Jonathan Kozol, AN AWESOME education expert, was once quoted as saying, "If politicians believe that busing kids into schools is going to solve the problems of these failing schools, it's rather like the crew of the titanic thinking that rearranging the deck furniature would do some good".
I agree wholeheartedly with that statement.
Yes the jury is still out on this. The jury was out on it before it was implemented. The few voucher programs in the nation were not giving very good results, minimal at best, non-existant most other times. Go ahead and try it...but it's not going to work. It's like putting a bandaid on an open wound that requires serious medical attention. The No Child Left Behind Act is focusing all it's attentions in the wrong avenues.
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ThiChi
Facts not considered. The union/ teacher game is over and exposed!
The No Child Left Behind Act enables America's public schools to receive record levels of funding from the federal government, and creates unprecedented levels of accountability to ensure that those funds are producing real results to help every child in America receive a quality education.
To ensure that the reforms and resources of the No Child Left Behind Act are reaching America's classrooms, President Bush announced that:
- Five states (Colorado, Indiana, Massachusetts, New York, and Ohio) have taken the lead in having their school accountability plans approved by the Department of Education. These five states have now outlined specific steps for ensuring yearly progress in reading and math achievement for the students enrolled in their public elementary and secondary schools.
- The President's FY 2004 budget proposal increases funding for the Reading First and Early Reading First programs by $75 million over last year, bringing the total to over $1.1 billion, to help children learn to read by the end of third grade and improve pre-reading skills in pre-school.
- The President's FY 2004 budget will provide an additional $1 billion (9% increase) for the Title I program that provides funds to America's most needy public schools, bringing his total request for Title I funding to $12.35 billion. From FY 2000 to 2002, federal funding for elementary and secondary education programs increased by 49% -- including an increase of 27% ($4.7 billion) from FY 2001 to FY 2002. To implement the No Child Left Behind Act, states and local school districts have received more than $22 billion in this school year alone.
A Year of Progress in Strengthening America's Public Schools
In the year since President Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act into law, the Bush Administration has worked closely with state and local education leaders to ensure that these important changes reach the classroom. And the new law is beginning to show results.
- Through the new Reading First program, $412 million has been distributed to 20 states to help schools and districts improve children's reading achievement using scientifically proven methods of instruction.
- States have implemented the public school choice provisions of the Act to allow parents of students in low-performing schools to transfer to a better public school. Additionally, states have identified supplemental service providers to provide after-school instruction and tutoring to students enrolled in schools in need of improvement.
Since the No Child Left Behind Act was signed into law by President Bush on January 8, 2002, the U.S. Department of Education has been working to implement this landmark Act to ensure that every child receives a high quality education.
Approval of State Accountability Plans
The centerpiece of the No Child Left Behind Act is the development of rigorous state accountability systems to ensure that every child meets the highest possible standards. With the release of final regulations in November 2002, every state has the information needed to meet the January 31, 2003 submission date for state accountability plans.
Five states have taken the lead in integrating the requirements of the Act into their current accountability systems and have received approval for their proposed accountability plans from the Department of Education. The states receiving approval are: Colorado, Indiana, Massachusetts, New York, and Ohio.
The differing plans of these states demonstrate the willingness of the Department of Education to allow flexibility and variety among states, within the limits of the law. The Department has also released guidance to give educators detailed information on the implementation of key programs, including: Teacher Quality, Supplemental Services, Public School Choice, Transferability, Reading First, 21st Century Community Learning Centers, Technology, and English Language Acquisition Programs.
Reading First and Early Reading First
Approximately $412 million in funding has been distributed to date to 20 states to implement President Bush's Reading First program this school year. Grants have been awarded to Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, and Washington.
States receiving Reading First grants make competitive subgrants to local school districts. Local school districts then use screening and diagnostic assessments to determine which students in grades K-3 are at risk of reading failure, and provide professional development for K-3 teachers in the essential components of reading instruction.
School districts will use Early Reading First grants to support scientifically-based strategies to improve pre-reading skills of children in early childhood development programs through a strong focus on developing verbal skills, phonological awareness, and letter knowledge.
President Bush will continue his commitment to reading programs by requesting an additional $75 million over last year's budget in his 2004 budget proposal, bringing the total funding to over $1.1 billion.
Funding
The federal government is providing far more money than ever before to help states and local school districts implement the No Child Left Behind Act, including more than $22 billion in this school year alone. From 2000 to 2002, funding for elementary and secondary education programs increased by 49%.
President Bush is continuing his commitment to carrying out these reforms by requesting an additional $1 billion for Title I in the 2004 budget, a total request of $12.35 billion for 2004.
Public School Choice and Supplemental Services
States have implemented the public school choice provisions of the Act to allow parents of students in low-performing schools to transfer to a better public school.
States have identified supplemental service providers to provide after-school instruction and tutoring to students enrolled in schools in need of improvement. States have provided real options this school year to parents with children in low-performing schools to ensure that these students receive the help they need.
Edited by - thichi on 30 January 2003 12:30:10
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ThiChi
Accountability for Results
H.R. 1 will result in the creation of assessments in each state that measure what children know and learn in reading and math in grades 3-8. Student progress and achievement will be measured according to tests that will be given to every child, every year.
H.R. 1 will empower parents, citizens, educators, administrators, and policymakers with data from those annual assessments. The data will be available in annual report cards on school performance and on statewide progress. They will give parents information about the quality of their children's schools, the qualifications of teachers, and their children's progress in key subjects.
Statewide reports will include performance data disaggregated according to race, gender, and other criteria to demonstrate not only how well students are achieving overall but also progress in closing the achievement gap between disadvantaged students and other groups of students.
Creating Flexibility at the State and Local Levels and Reducing Red Tape
To cut down on federal red tape and bureaucracy and enhance local control, H.R. 1 will reduce the overall number of ESEA programs at the U.S. Department of Education from 55 to 45.
For the first time, H.R. 1 will offer most local school districts in America the freedom to transfer up to 50 percent of the federal dollars they receive among several education programs without separate approval.
For the first time, all 50 states will also have the freedom to transfer up to 50 percent of the non-Title I state activity funds they receive from the federal government among an assortment of ESEA programs without advance approval.
H.R. 1 will allow the creation of up to 150 local flexibility demonstration projects for school districts interested in obtaining the flexibility to consolidate all funds they receive from several programs in exchange for entering into an agreement holding them accountable for higher academic performance.
Up to seven states will have new flexibility in the use of their non-Title I state-level federal funds in a variety of categories in the form of waivers from federal requirements relating to a variety of ESEA programs. States participating in the new demonstration projects will also be able to coordinate their efforts with local school districts through state-local "flexibility partnerships" designed to make sure federal education funds are being used effectively to meet student needs.
H.R. 1 will give local school officials serving rural schools and districts more flexibility and a greater say in how federal funds are used in their schools.
Expanding Options for Parents of Children from Disadvantaged Backgrounds
H.R. 1 creates meaningful options for parents whose children are trapped in failing schools and makes these options available immediately:
Public School Choice: Parents with children in failing schools would be allowed to transfer their child to a better-performing public or charter school immediately after a school is identified as failing.
Supplemental Services: Federal Title I funds (approximately $500 to $1,000 per child) can be used to provide supplemental educational services - including tutoring, after school services, and summer school programs - for children in failing schools.
Charter Schools: H.R. 1 expands federal support for charter schools by giving parents, educators and interested community leaders greater opportunities to create new charter schools.
Ensuring Every Child Can Read with Reading First
H.R. 1 authorizes an increase in federal funding for reading from $300 million in FY 2001 to more than $900 in FY 2002 and links that funding to scientifically proven methods of reading instruction through the President's Reading First plan.
Strengthening Teacher Quality
H.R. 1 asks states to put a highly-qualified teacher in every public school classroom by 2005. The bill also makes it easier for local schools to recruit and retain excellent teachers.
H.R. 1 will consolidate smaller programs within the US Department of Education. The bill also creates a new Teacher Quality Program that allows greater flexibility for local school districts.
In addition to specific funds for teacher quality, H.R. 1 will also give local schools new freedom to make spending decisions with up to 50 percent of the non-Title I federal funds they receive. With this new freedom, a local school district can use additional funds for hiring new teachers, increasing teacher pay, improving teacher training and development or other uses.
Confirming Progress
Under H.R. 1 a small sample of students in each state will participate in the fourth- and eighth-grade National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in reading and math every other year in order to help the US Department of Education verify the results of statewide assessments required under Title I to demonstrate student performance and progress.
Promoting English Proficiency
H.R. 1 consolidates the US Department of Education's bilingual and immigrant education programs in order to simplify program operations, increase flexibility, and focus support on enabling all limited English proficient (LEP) students to learn English as quickly and effectively as possible. The new Act will focus on helping limited English proficient (LEP) students learn English through scientifically based teaching methods.
Under H.R. 1, all LEP students will be tested for reading and language arts in English after they have attended school in the United States for three consecutive years.
Under H.R. 1 parents will be notified that their child demonstrates limited English proficiency and is in need of English language instruction.