Comments on: Tom Chapin Asks for your Help Disemboweling ‘No Child Left Behind’

By: NicInNC

NicInNC — Fri, 16 May 2008 01:33:27 +0000

I hve been outraged over NCLB since my children have started school. I have one daughter that is so stressed out over school that she is on medication for her stomach. She’s made A’s, B’s and C’s on her report card, yet we have been told twice already that if she doesn’t pass the end of grade test, she’ll be retained. She has failed all her end of quarter tests. Yet, when it comes to projects or regular classwork, she gets good grades! What does that tell you? That they need to LAY OFF on the testing! I’m praying that getting rid of NCLB is the first thing on the agenda for the new president.

By: brettdl

brettdl — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 03:39:07 +0000

Tanya, I call NCLB No Child Gets an Education.

Thanks for the video, I had not seen it before.

By: LiteralDan

LiteralDan — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 20:55:33 +0000

This is one of several torpedoes the Bush Administration has sent into America's future.

It's just sad, really. Maybe with time, outrage will be widespread and focused enough to send NCLB back to the trash heap where it belongs, and we can let people who have some experience and know what they're doing have some say in what our national education policy will be.

By: Tanya

Tanya — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 16:18:09 +0000

Around my house, we refer to NCLB as “no child gets ahead” because no one seems to focus on good grades anymore. The teachers are wasting their time making sure that no child feels left out instead of preparing the children for real life.

By: Kim/hormone-colored days

Kim/hormone-colored days — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 22:04:05 +0000

One more reason to love Tom Chapin!

I have two academically gifted kids and public school was, sadly, a disaster for my older one. NCLB pays no attention to children who perform above grade level. Just because a child reads advanced books at an early age doesn't mean he's done learning. If we're going to set learning goals for children, there should be appropriate goals across the learning spectrum.

By: Tara

Tara — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 16:42:26 +0000

I worked as a paraprofessional (teacher’s aide) in a class with students with IQs of no more than 25. The state required us to test these kids ON grade level because of NCLB. This was insanity. These kids were doing good to hold their own heads up. I hate NCLB.

By: Ray

Ray — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 13:56:31 +0000

The federal government is not forcing school districts to comply with NCLB. The districts do it voluntarily. They lose some federal funding if they don't, but they're not required to comply with the regulations. It's all about the dollars. Not the kids.

Ask your local school board why they refuse to leave the pack and not comply with NCLB standards. Put the blame where it belongs.

By: Chief Family Officer

Chief Family Officer — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 03:16:00 +0000

We teach a lot of concepts, even if they’re not completely understood. For example, my husband and I are both lawyers, so we discuss our cases with our three-year-old. We talk about the purpose of advertising, that companies are in it to make money. I teach my son about personal finance and spending money wisely. We also seek to expose them to lots of different experiences – a variety of foods, place, people. :)

By: Cindi

Cindi — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 21:56:24 +0000

Hats off to Harry’s brother! I totally agree with his view point. Teacher’s will have my sons practice various types of writing because that will be on the standardized tests. I am glad my children are in honors classes because they are given more creativity access. Things do need to be changed and soon! Thanks for your information.Cindi

By: alianora

alianora — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 20:20:06 +0000

Im a teacher, and trust me, we hate it as much as other people do.

I posted about how I feel about it, and why here: http://www.silverspiral.net/?p=315

Thanks for the links, will check them out.