About No Child Left Behind: Is our children learning?
924010
In a lot of states, standardized test scores have come up, but that's mostly because teachers are spending a lot of time going over practice test questions and teaching only the skills on the exams.  The skills on the standardized tests are good to have, but there's a lot more to life than just questions on exams.  Unfortunately, because of financial pressure, job security, graduation requirements tied to state scores, etc, most teachers have to spend a lot of their time preparing kids for the test.\n\nIn my classroom, we have really cut back on classroom discussion, creative assignments, and social activities.  I feel like since NCLB came out, the kids have still been prepared well academically, but as far their social and emotional learning, they are definitely not as prepared as in the past.  \n\nWe have kids in class and parents with some serious problems, like drugs, abuse, poverty, etc, and it's really hard to think that in the future every kid will have to be proficient on state exams as a result of NCLB.  Every kid can learn and succeed, but some are so disadvantaged coming to school that realistically not everyone's going to do well.  That doesn't mean as a teacher I don't try, but I know deep down that some kids won't do well on state exams.  \n\nAre we better off?...academically perhaps, but what concerns me is that I teach writing the same way as on the state exams.  Every kid knows how to answer those questions in the exact same way.  If I walk around the room and look at their answers, it reminds me of the Star Wars clone army, where everyone looks and acts the same.  Sure, kids have the right answer, but America hasn't been successful because everyone has done everything the same way all the time.  We've been founded on diversity but are now forcing kids to comform to one set standard.  There's some positives to that, but also some negatives that raise some serious concerns.
385704
No Child Left Behind requires that a lot of ridiculous standardized testing is done for every student every year.  The tests mean nothing to the students and they often just fill in the ovals and don't even read the questions, but then the government decides which schools are bad and which are good based on these tests.  Not everyone has to take the ASVAB's and ACT's, so they have to have some tests that ALL students are required to take.  You can thank our politicians for this.
838503
The no child left behind act entitles all children in America to a proper education including but not limited to reading, writing, math skills equal to their potential. It is a step in the right direction to force schools to help students with learning disabilities to be taught by tutors if needed provided by federal funding. This is for the best of the country to keep the number of welfare cases and the amount of criminals down. Before this act children with disabilities were pushed through the system to be dumped on the street with no skills to work, low self esteem and usually either on ending up on welfare or ending up in jail. I do agree many teachers complain about the act, now they do actually have to teach, not just show up in the classroom, collect their pay and complain it isn't enough.
59154
Not really - I think that America's children are just as smart as any other country's.  However, it seems to me that America does not emphasize education for children as much as other countries do; so therefore, the intelligence as the youth grows up in America is lacking and behind those of other countries.  THAT's the key right there - if we, the people of the USA, concentrated on our children's education as much as we pay attention to the sports, the welfare of 3rd world countries, the next big movie, the latest American Idol, etc., etc. then I would daresay that our education would match any of the world powers.  Intelligence really cannot be quantified as such.  Knowledge, however, can be!
669642
As a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and the Subcommittee on Children and Families, I was one of the key negotiators of The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA), the comprehensive overhaul of our nation’s elementary and secondary education policy that made New York schools more accountable to New York’s families. And today I am holding the Administration accountable for not providing the resources that it promised to allow the landmark law to succeed. \n\n\n\nI will continue to work tirelessly to support early childhood education, improve teacher training, lower class size, eliminate environmental hazards in schools, make college affordable and accessible, reward innovations in education, and protect the programs that work for all of New York’s children. Read on to learn more.\n\n\n\nEarly Childhood Education\n For almost 40 years, Head Start has helped prepare children to succeed in school by empowering their parents and providing comprehensive services that address all the barriers children in poverty face. Today, almost 50,000 of New York’s lowest-income families benefit from the educational, health, mental health, dental, nutritional, and parent involvement services provided by Head Start. more»\n\n\n\nElementary and Secondary Education\n When the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA) was enacted, I viewed it as a historic promise between the federal government and educators – schools would be held to higher standards than ever before and the government would make a record investment in those schools to ensure that they would be able to meet the new expectations confronting them. Today, that promise has been broken. President Bush’s budget for 2006 provides $12 billion less than was promised by the No Child Left Behind Act, including $947.5 million less for New York. more»\n\n\n\nSpecial Education\n I co-sponsored the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Improvement Act, which was signed into law on December 3, 2004. This bill will strengthen the IDEA by improving access to professional development for all teachers, expanding monitoring and enforcement mechanisms, resolving disputes equitably, improving students’ transitions from high school to adulthood, and involving parents more thoroughly in the education of their children. more»\n\n\n\nHigher Education\n Each additional year of post-secondary education increases a person’s income by 5 to 15%. Over a lifetime, a person with a college degree will earn close to $1 million more than those who only have a high school diploma. more»\n\n\n\nNational and Community Service\n I have been a consistent supporter of Americorps.  In the 107th Congress, I introduced legislation to increase opportunities to serve in AmeriCorps for individuals aging out of foster care. I co-sponsored legislation to support schools that provide service learning opportunities to elementary and secondary students. And Ifought for an emergency appropriation of funds when AmeriCorps was in danger of being cut by close to 70 percent. I will continue to advocate for strengthening AmeriCorps and for continuing the federal investment in this important program.
693906
Why not take advantage of the fact that they are young enough to reprogram them out of the typical "one size fits all cookie cutter" approach to learning? Have you looked into other methods along the home-schooling spectrum? I would pick up a few good books about home schooling elementary aged children and start getting creative instead of relying solely (if at all) on a packaged curriculum.
156287
i wouldnt be worrying so much about grades, but the content.  if they are missing a lot of key concepts and ideas that are appropriate for that age level, something needs to be done.  im an educator in texas and we have spelling activities every week, cursive is taught in third, and science is all year.  but there is so much more to school than those few things.  from what you have said, it makes me wonder what else is falling through the cracks?  i would contact the school board, the district superintendants, and whoever else you need to get this resolved.  check up on required curriculum for the state and see if this school/class is meeting those.
123821
Yes it does, quite often kids can help parents learn how to use new technological gizmos that are becoming common place now but were hardly things they used...e.g. ipods\n\nPlus knowledge takes quantum leaps from better research and new technology. So it would make sense that students or grads would be able to educate their parents on new thinking...
797942
Children don't learn.  It is taught to them.\n\nCoach
94788
Hopefully, teaching these subjects will help us deal with the future.  Maybe we won't make the same mistake twice.  Another reason is perhaps that the children will learn from those who shaped our world as we know it today. (such as Ben Franklin, Alexander the Great, and Bill Gates for example)  Mybe it will also get the younger (and quite unenthused) generations creative juices flowing.
559792
Just coming out of teacher's college and seeing 4 different schools, I can't say that No Child Left Behind really helps.  I don't see how it helps children to be passed into the next grade if they can't achieve all the requirements of the last one.  I would make exceptions for students who have been identified as having LD or any other disability but not for the few underachievers in the classroom.  It's really hard to have more than one student in a classroom who can't keep up with the work given to them...with such big class sizes, it's no wonder that a teacher can't give them as much support as they really need.
1094973
I totally agree that the testing and assessment is focusing not just on memorization, but memorization of certian information.  It is so focused that those kids who have a natural interest or aptitude for certain subjects can't get beyond the basics in class.\n\nWe need to bring back discussions, research papers, etc.  I was writing research papers as early as 3rd grade.\n\nUNFORTUNATELY another big affect on the kids today in learning, is lack of parental involvement.  With both parents working (sometimes multiple jobs) or single parents struggling just to put food on the table, there is often not enough time in the day (or energy in their body) for some parents to be more involved in their child's education process.\n\nNot only does the school system need to reasses their programs (No Child Left Behind is good in theory, but needs some reform)... but parents need to be more involved and in some areas that means we need an economic/income boost.
1175555
I think children should be taught that learning is something we do throughout life, not just to get through school.  They should be taught that a job well done is its own reward.  They need to learn to be self-motivated, independent thinkers.\n\nAs a parent, I try to instill these ideas in my children.  The best teachers are those that, whatever the subject matter, stress discovery, learning and responsibility.\n\nThanks for the work you do!
225313
No Child Left Behind Act is what I just did mine on.  If you want any info about it just contact me.
1065334
Humans as animals teach our young the skills necessary to survive.  Human society has evolved to where hunting and gathering are replaced by reading, writing, and arithmetic.  Just as hunting and gathering are a burden, so is learning the 3 R's.  The contrapositive to your statement would be "Is not having an education a burden on young children?"  The answer is yes.  But which burden is better-to have education or not to have education?\n\nTo respond to the comment:\n\n> I too am starting to wonder if we are giving our kids (especially\n> 5-8 year olds) so much school work that they aren't getting to \n> be kids. And don't get my started on the weight of those\n> backpacks.\n\nMy experience of children's minds are that they get bored easily.  We either fill up their bored minds with lessons and activities that we plan for them or they search their own ways to fill them.  Kids usually fill up their minds with less constructive activities like video games or finding what troubles they can get away with (which is a natural instinct for searching the limits of their environment).
415241
I don't know that much about the psychology, but having three kids I can tell you alot about how children learn.  \nSome kids can sit still and listen to their teacher tell them what they need to know.  Some kids need to read about the subject to grasp it.  Some children need to see the object that they are studying, and others (most I would assume) learn best by touching and manipulating what they are studying.  \nSome kids cannot learn without moving around.  This seems to affect young boys more that girls, but the teacher needs to be aware that the child is not being disrespectful, but doing what they need to do learn.  Some kids can sit still, others need to be lying down, etc...  It takes a great teacher to let the kids learn, and not have a discipline problem at the same time.  My youngest has such a teacher this year, she has altered her classroom so that everychilds needs are met, and they still obey her better than any other teacher in the school,  I think it has a lot to do with respect- what she has for her students, they turn around and give it right back to her
1084788
There are many different public school and private school  early educational curricula.  \n\nA new type of student driven plans are called the Highscope Approach and Tools of the Mind.  Children actually "plan" with the teacher and paraprofessionals as to what they will work on for the day during free and small group time.  The teacher is responsible for setting up specific learning centers (art, writing, dramatic play, housekeeping, science eyes, everyday math, etc.) where the children will spend plenty of time learning through play.\n\nOf course there is also the traditionally run program when the program is more teacher driven.  The teacher is responsible for planning all the learning activities for the students and the students are expected to follow them.  \n\nI have been teaching preschool for many years and have found using the McGraw-Hill Land of the Letter People, coupled with free choice time for centers is wonderful for teaching young children.\n\nCheck out this website for more info on different models of curricula:  http://ceep.crc.uiuc.edu/eecearchive/digests/2000/goffin00.html\n\nI hope this has been helpful!