No Child Left Behind?
Jerry, I sent a message to you on this issue to your e-mail. But for anyone else that wants more details on my profile, the Barriers I'm talking about in my profile are the issues that keep a woman from being able to financially support their family. These can include lack of transportaion, lack of training, lack of certification, lack of childcare. Other issues can be mental or physical issues that keep a person from maintaining adequate attendance to keep a job. I've met way too many women who cannot get out of a difficult situation that just need a helping hand. if a woman is willing to put forth the effort to get out of her situation, my goal is to provide the help she needs. That's what I mean by overcoming barriers.
25 not married no kids starting to feel left out and way behind?
I'm 25 years old not married and no kids not even close to either to be honest I simply don't have the means to do it. I feel left out when I see friends on Facebook posting baby pictures and wedding ceremonies. I just feel I've failed in that department. I have a girlfriend and I'm very happy but still feel behind. My cousin two years younger than me is getting married in June I don't think I even want to go to the wedding to be honest with you. Just don't want to be the unmarried person there. People say getting married young is a mistake but to me it's the best. You can still be young when your kids are grown up rather than the 60 year old father of a high school student. It's only going to be worse by the time I'm 30 if I haven't decided to tie the knot yet. Feeling very down and disappointed. Have you ever felt like this before?
What is your opinion about No Child Left Behind?
Some people love the program because of it's cheery title. Yet like most things pertaining to politics, they have no idea what it really is. Basically it's a federally mandated program that isn't federally funded. Schools lose federal money if they can't get test scores high enough. So instead of teaching kids about art and history, they're taught how to pass this test. That way the schools and the rich administrators can keep the money rolling in. It's like a business. Schools should never be run like a business. No Child Left Behind isn't a program to make kids smarter. It is a government program designed to give the appearance of helping children learn while at the same time stripping them of any real education.
What are your comments about No Child Left Behind?
To the best of my knowledge this was a policy passed under the Bush administration. As a conservative this is a really good example of why I do not associate with republicans. Don't get excited, I am on the polar opposite of this crazy progressive liberal movement in which nobody knows what they are progressing towards.Kids should be allowed to fail. I know I know, it sounds harsh, but so is life. Teachers have to waist so much energy and time to provide all these accommodations to kids who don't have any desire to put effort into their education.The kids have figured this out and now it has become a joke that is dragging down the kids that actually care.Please chime in if you are an educator and think I am way off base. I had to pull my kids out of public school because of all the shortcomings, which I truly believe are due to over legislation.
What do you think of the NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT? Is it leaving MORE children behind?
I have issues with the NCLB idea that kids with IEP's are to be tested at grade level when IDEA says they get tested at ability level. How can a student who reads on a 5th grade level or lower possibly pass as a HS level state exam? They would have a chance if ithe reading portions could be read to them so they could answer the comprehension questions, but that is only allowed for 1% of the SPED population. I have some kids with little comprehension, but good oral fluency and some with low reading fluency and higher comprehension. Gee, those test results we get back aren't an accurate representation of what my kids are capable of. I also believe that one of Bush's committees that looked into education prior to the development of NCLB made the claim that they believe only 2% of learning disabilities are real. I was told that by a guy who works for the DOE. Isn't it ironic that only 1% of the IEP kids are allowed to qualify for non-standard accommodations? I would also like someone to explain to me how Margaret Spellings, who helped develop NCLB, can tell me what it takes to be highly qualified, when SHE'S not even highly qualified to be Sec. of Ed. She's never had ANY experience teaching and has NO educational training of any kind. I'll get off my soap box now. But to answer your question, YES, many are getting left behind. Some are getting more and more behind because teachers really can't teach multiplication facts to freshman and sophmores because it is not grade level curriculum. Yet we can't give them multiplication charts and calculators for their tests, when they are tested on their knowledge of how to solve for x, and not on basic skills. In real life they can use those accommodations to DO what they need to do as long as we make sure they know HOW to do it.
No child left behind. Good or Bad? Explain.?
I think it is a bad idea because if you are a slow learner and the teacher hasn't got time to spend with you, then all she is doing is pushing a student out the front door with out the education they need. I think it is a disgrace on the kids who struggle with school work and then to have someone come along with -no child left behind is a slap in the face for the student. All this is doing is telling teachers that we don't want you to really teach all we want you to do is act as a baby setter for 7 hours a day.