Sunday, July 15, 2007
Get behind reform of No Child Left Behind
From the RoundTable blog
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Barham is executive director of the Virginia School Boards Association in Charlottesville.
Over the last five years, every school and community in Virginia has been affected by the federal No Child Left Behind Act signed by President Bush in 2002. This year, the law is scheduled for renewal. That means Congress has an opportunity to fix and put in place a law that fulfills the goal of helping, not hindering, Virginia's school districts to improve student achievement.
The National School Boards Association, with the assistance of the Virginia School Boards Association and its 134 member school boards plus 48 other state school boards associations, has developed a comprehensive bill, H.R. 648, that offers a plan to improve the No Child Left Behind law.
Virginia's school leaders understand well what changes are needed to preserve accountability for schools and ensure improved performance for students.
The law's flaws are significant:
n Funding levels are far from what Congress and the administration promised.
n An accountability system that over-relies on a single test causes mislabeling of schools as failing even though they are making progress.
n A one-size-fits-all approach doesn't work for the nation's 48 million students and more than 15,000 school districts.
Congress will act now only if members hear from their constituents.
That's why 29 Virginia School Boards Association member boards have passed a resolution calling on their congressional representatives to support the No Child Left Behind Improvements Act, which would fully address the major concerns raised by parents, educators, local school board members, administrators and other stakeholders.
The local boards supporting this legislation know that these improvements to the law will enable them to assess student performance more fairly and accurately, and spend taxpayer dollars more efficiently.
H.R. 648, introduced by Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, has bipartisan support and builds on the major reforms of NCLB, while offering common-sense improvements that address many of the law's unintended consequences.
Consistent with the recommendations developed by the National School Boards Association, H.R. 648 is based on practical, on-the-ground feedback from the Virginia School Boards Association and others across the country.
It grants greater flexibility to states and local school districts; allows schools and school districts to target resources to those students who need the most attention; eliminates the mislabeling of schools related to performance; restores public confidence in the nation's public schools; and improves testing for all students, particularly those with disabilities and those not proficient in English.
We hope Virginia's congressional delegation members hear the collective message Virginia school boards and their association are sending. We have solid recommendations to improve NCLB, and our students need them to make it a reality now.
The House education committee is expected to debate and possibly approve a new law as soon as this month. Our schools and students deserve a workable federal law that supports, not abandons, them.
