As long as I’ve been a teacher the No Child Left Behind laws have been around so I don’t really have anything to compare it to. All I know is there has to be a better way. I like the idea of holding schools and teachers accountable but I don’t think this is the way to do it.
Barack Obama’s Opinions About No Child Left Behind
- He likes the idea but feels it was under funded and has not given all students highly qualified teachers and is not paying or supporting the highly qualified teachers that are there
- I agree with this. I’ve seen many wonderful teachers leave the profession because of the obstacles that are put in front of teachers that make it harder to teach. Additionally, in most areas teaching does not pay well. This is another reason my school lost so many teachers over the years. That’s the good teachers. The bad teachers stay because they can for the most part get away with just being babysitters. The government needs to reward those that want to teach and boot those that don’t.
- He says too many students are not prepared to go to college and that a third of high school graduates don’t go to college at all.
- I can’t argue with that but at the same time I can’t help but wonder why this is a big deal. Part of the reason I hate No Child Left Behind is because it assumes that every student can learn at an equal level, they can’t. Maybe I’m the only person in America that thinks that isn’t a big deal, I don’t know. I do know that some of my learning disabled students were much happier and more productive when they weren’t reading ‘on grade level’. A teacher of mine once told me that being fair isn’t giving everyone the same thing it is giving everyone what they need to succeed. College isn’t what everyone needs and everyone won’t be successful in school. I’ll rant more about this sometime in the future.
- He thinks teacher retention is a problem and says thirty percent of teachers leave within five years.
- From what I’ve seen it’s less than three. Yes it’s a problem. Teachers are poorly compensated for their level of expertise. Don’t tell me it’s a calling. It’s a job and if you don’t pay your teachers what they’re worth why would they stay?
This is just a brief overview of some of the items he is concerned about. For a more comprehensive list you can go here.
“I don’t want to send another generation of American children to failing schools. I don’t want that future for my daughters. I don’t want that future for your sons. I do not want that future for America.”
— Barack Obama, Jefferson-Jackson Dinner, Des Moines, Iowa, November 10, 2007
What do you think about No Child Left Behind? Do you think Barack Obama is the person who can get Education back on track for the United States?
