No Child Left Behind?

It was once prime legislation, set to be the building blocks of a new era in which public schools in this country would have to be brought up to par. We as Americans were no longer going to have to tolerate perpetuating a cycle of ignorance and illiteracy. The No Child Left Behind Act turns 10 today and it's less than a happy birthday.


The truth of the matter is that although today parents have more options than ever on schooling their children (assuming pecuniary accessibility), however,  the actual options are surprisingly bleak. For those who rely on a public school education to mold their child's young mind, the reality of it is mind boggling. 


Now, don't get me wrong, I am the product of a public school education. In fact, I attended so many public schools in Jefferson Parish, LA that your head would spin. My experience, though, ended 10 years ago, as public education began it's decline. It's also different in that I attended honors classes, instead of regular education classes. The difference, I can assure you, is impeccable.*****


I cannot begin to try and explain what's going on in every school, but I have a few observations. First, the high school that I graduated from, which was not that great of a school when I attended it, has clearly declined further. Since my graduation, it has been turned into a magnet school (in an effort to boost test scores, no doubt) and it still does not have the proper test scores needed to stay afloat (now, I know what you're thinking: Test Scores?, why should it matter. I argue: have you taken these tests? I have. They measure your ability to read, write and do basic math. If these students can't pass these tests, we have major problems).


I then turn my attention to the only people in my lives that attend public school-- my nephews. Now, my biggest concern here is that I have learned they don't take every subject everyday. In other words, today you have science, tomorrow you have art, etc. Perhaps not in that order, but you get the idea. Now, in a world where we can no longer compete on a global level with academia and innovation, can we accept anything less than each student being schooled in each subject everyday? In elementary school, you are given the building blocks to help you succeed in junior high, high school and eventually college, so why wouldn't we want this? They do not go to school from early morning to late afternoon like we did. They do not have the same curriculum we did. They do not have the same knowledgeable teachers we did (not taking anything necessarily away from today's teachers, many of them are great, but too many are not).


I would imagine that it is not too far fetched to assume that this travesty is going on in classrooms all across the nation. The truth of the matter is, we created this. The No Child Left Behind Act, in theory, was a great idea. The major problem: funding. Americans, God bless them, hate taxes. Taxes are required for a government to run. Sorry, folks, it's a known fact, you have to put money in to get services out. Since we don't like taxes, we don't have funding and our public schools are sub-par.


So, how can we get the most out of our money? Well, that may be more simple than you think. It does not start with getting rid of standardized testing. I know, I know some of you say, "teachers are teaching the test" instead of teaching. To that I would argue, I had to take standardized testing and am no worse for doing so. Besides, the reality of it is, if you're teaching our kids, they can pass the test. See it as a perk. We need to make it easier for the best and the brightest minds to become teachers. 


Currently, if you don't have a teaching degree, you must pass an exam. Fine. It's important to make sure that candidates know their subject matter. How can you make it easier? Take away the expensive fees to take the exam. Set up a system in which recent college grads can teach in the immediate years following school (like the military and the peace corp do) with loan forgiveness programs (this cannot happen if it costs so much to get certified, or if it has so much red tape to it). These people will be temporary teachers. Let them teach for 3 years without certification, only by passing a free exam. If they would like to continue to teach, you get certified. Create a manner in which you can get them into the classroom quickly. Teach for America tries many of these tactics, but are bogged down by the system's requirements. Doing these things will increase the number of qualified candidates and decrease teacher burnout. And who is more optimistic than a recent college grad?


The other option would be to increase funding to schools. The truth of the matter is that no legislation can be effective without the proper funding. We need to put education first. It's the cornerstone of America and it is the only thing that can lead us into the future. We need to rely on individuals weeding themselves out of the public school system and out of college, instead of the current system which naturally reduces individuals capability of achieving higher education. It is imperative that we do so now, in order to catch up to the curve of a global market that is passing us by.


*****My argument was now, as it was back then, that students who attend honors classes and students who attend regular education classes are groomed differently to fulfill different functions in society. In other words, those who are placed in honors classes are specifically tailored to attend college, whereas those who are not are groomed to get jobs. This does not mean that students cannot step outside those bounds, just that it becomes an easier adjustment, the success rate is greater. As I had a few regular education classes (due to scheduling conflicts), I saw the differences in teaching styles and classroom dynamics. This does not apply to private schools, or maybe even schools that I did not attend. This is a mere observation of my own personal experience.


Want more on the state of our schools? Check out this article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/08/examples-of-slavery-in-school-worksheet_n_1192512.html?ref=mostpopular

It will blow your mind.