Opting out of No Child Left Behind?

First of all, this is the AZ legislature. It takes forever to get anything done unless they are trying to annoy the governor. So I don't think it will get far.

I think the biggest problem with it going places is money. The state is already dealing with a budget crisis. And while this would be two years out, you never know how our budget will look then.

I hear there are many problems with NCLB - mostly from teachers. But at the same time, I think parents - particularly with kids who struggle in school - like that there is some accountability in education -- in essence, seeking to make sure children aren't left behind.

I think the idea of No Child Left Behind is grand. The current NCLB legislation, not so much.

My first gripe is that, when local school boards actually have control K-12, schools perform better. Mega-districts spend more in red tape and administration than they save in efficiency. The federal government should get out of the education business; I hate seeing every $1 I pay in federal income taxes earmarked for schools reduced to $.20 by the time it lands in a classroom. Constitutionally, the federal government has no authority over schools; that authority rests with each state. The feds get around it by creating "grants" and attaching a ton of rules and regulations to receiving those grants.

Second, while I believe in standards, I know that children don't come in standard varieties. Every child is gifted. If learning what one needs to know to choose a vocation and prepare for it is a 180 degree rainbow, standardized tests measure about 25 degrees. The only way to teach each child to use his/her strengths to make up for his/her weaknesses is to make huge cuts in class size. I'm not talking about "we reduced first grade classes to 20 instead of 22". I'm talking about first grade classes of no more than 15 kids with a teacher and an aide.

The reason I left teaching in the 1990's is that, even though I had gone back to school to learn how to teach reading and writing more effectively, I realized that it was impossible to actually teach 150+ kids a day how to read and write on a mid or high school level. At the time in a pre-teen or teenager's life when s/he is very interested in expressing him/herself, the only way to produce enough marks for the grade book and still have time to sleep is to emphasize mind-numbing exercises in grammar, vocabulary, and comprehension (rather than interpretation).

NCLB tests make it even worse. To pass a standardized writing test, you must regurgitate a formula. On the SAT, you can make up facts (i.e. Martin Luther King Jr. was related to George Washington), but, if you have the formula down pat, and know how to spell and use punctuation, you'll score high.

All you have to do is visit a senior center, and talk to the folks there. My grandmother went to school in the 1890's, and she read Homer in the 11th grade. You can most likely find an elder who can answer almost any question you have, or explain how to do anything you want to do. They'll kick your backside in solving a crossword puzzle, be able to (as my Grandfather could) tell you how exactly many gallons of paint it will take to pretty up your house, teach you to take out a pasta sauce stain, explain the difference between IRAs, Roth IRAs, annuities, and CDs, and how to mix barley and grass seed to get a stubborn piece of dirt to become a lawn. They didn't learn any of that in school. They learned how to learn. NCLB teaches how to take tests.

Finally, thanks to NCLB, I can't just take a test, have the local PD fingerprint me, get a physical, and get an AZ license to teach (I let my CO and NM licenses lapse). I can't "test out" of several $1,000 worth of courses I've already passed. I will probably have to spend a semester being a "student teacher" at no salary. All in all, while my heart's desire is to go back to teaching, I don't have the luxury of spending about a year and a half not only not making money, but forking over tuition, fees, and the extraordinary fees that AZ will charge me to prove that I'm already a teacher. Between AZ and NCLB, I can't afford to teach. No matter how much I want to show 3rd graders what happens if you mix vinegar and baking soda -- and that's pretty cool.

Are you kidding me? Arizona continues to lag the nation in education, our teachers are amongst the lowest paid, we continue to cut programs (arts, PE, etc) while voters continue to reject School bonds.

While I am not a proponent of 'No Child Left Behind' which adds more bureaucracy, inhibits the local school boards from managing properly, and focuses on teaching children how to take tests, the federal money received is critical to our state's education.

We should demand that our legislation come up with the $600M we will lose, prior to opting out of 'No Child Left Behind.' When are we going to figure out the impact that education has on our economy and society?

Luz Gonzalez