When is Congress going to get back to work on No Child Left Behind? With all the furor over the Presidential campaigns, we need to remember to hold Congress accountable for their responsibilities.
States setting their own standards as low as possible to qualify for federal funding is just one of the flaws. Too much classroom time devoted to test-preparation and test-taking is another.
And our schools continue to fail. There is abundant evidence that our top students are not being sufficiently prepared to compete in a global environment. Numerous articles and studies show that we are shortchanging all of our students, including our very best students.
That we delude ourselves that some schools are actually GOOD. 2) Drop-outs are increasing drastically. Even worse than the fact that we are giving our best students inadequate preparation for life – we are also LOSING 28% – 50% – 75% of our students as drop-outs (depending on the area).
It is time for a COMPLETE REFORM of our education programs in USA public schools. Just look at the statistics and news reports. USA schools were ranked 24th around the globe, when we sent our best and brightest. The only countries that ranked lower were Cypress and South Africa. The problem starts at the top.
To those who say “we have, and always have had, an elitist educational system where the cream will rise to the top”, I respond that the only way we will eliminate an elitist educational system is to demand change.
Teachers have been taking the blame for school failures for too long. But, to say that national change will only occur community-by-community is not only unrealistic, it is a sure-fire recipe for disaster. We cannot depend on problems staying in one particular vicinity. Let me give you an example of how deteriorating conditions in our schools can impact the future. If I live in an exclusive area (which I have) and attend an expensive private school (which I did) that MAY allow me to be well-educated, or have access to better drugs. What it does NOT do is stop the uneducated, violent and angry drop-out from across the city or country from entering my safe little haven and violating my “serene existence”. One way or another, we will pay if we do not improve education nationally.
