Friday, November 13, 2009

No Child Left Behind and the Obama Administration

President Barack Obama is quoted in saying that “Achieving a quality education for children is the civil rights issue of our generation. (p.25, Quality Education is our Moon Shot)” If education is such a vital part of our society, where is the action from the Obama administration? I agree with the majority of the educators I work with and interact with that the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2002 is severely flawed and punishes school districts and teachers based on a snapshot of performance from the schools standardized tests. What will the new administration do to make the necessary changes to our education system in order to effectively and realistically evaluate student learning and not punish the students?

The best person to answer this question is Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. He is the primary spokesperson and leader in the Obama administration on education. In an interview by Phi Delta Kappa, Secretary Duncan states that by 2020, President Obama wants to again have the largest percentage of college graduates in the world” (p24, Quality Education is our Moon Shot). They plan to achieve this goal through the Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). This Act was instituted in 1965 and has seen many versions including NCLB in 2002. The changing or reauthorization of this Act appears to be the Obama Administration’s attempt to separate themselves from the Bush Administration and NCLB. Also, this change may bring education front and center allowing President Obama to focus on this ‘civil rights issue’.

The Obama administration and Secretary Duncan have made many promises since taking office in January, but no action has occurred. Another education promise is that they want “common, career-ready standards that would be internationally marked” (p25, Quality Education is our Moon Shot). This initiative is repeated in many articles I have researched. A common question being asked regarding the Obama administration’s educational plan is “how you think you can change NCLB from what many perceive to be a test-and-punish law to a law that is really focused on improving student learning? Secretary Duncan replied in saying “I will always give NCLB credit for exposing achievement gaps and for requiring that we measure our efforts to improve education by looking at outcomes, rather than inputs”. (Reauthorization of ESEA: Why we can’t wait) However, the Obama administration has repeatedly stated that they are “more interested in gain and growth than in absolute test scores.” (pg. 26; Quality Education is our Moon Shot)

To achieve these goals, President Obama has pledged to provide federal funding to the Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary education Act (ESEA), which he believes will improve our national education system. The reforms the Obama Administration wants to achieve with these funds are four fold: 1) Adopt internationally benchmarked standards and assessments that prepare students for success in college and the workplace. 2) Recruit, develop, retain, and reward effective teachers and principals. 3) Build data systems that measure student success and inform teachers and principals how they can improve their practices.4) Turn around the lowest-performing schools. (pg. 26; Quality Education is our Moon Shot)

Unfortunately, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and President Obama have other national priorities to focus on before implementing their idealistic education plan. According to Secretary Duncan in a speech he made in October stating “the work of reauthorizing ESEA begins in states and districts across America—among educators and policy makers, parents and community leaders. This work is as urgent as it is important. In the coming weeks, our task is to unite education stakeholders behind a national school reform movement that reaches into every town and city—and we need your help to do it.” (Reauthorization of ESEA: Why We Can't Wait, October 23, 2009). These efforts are going to take a considerable amount of time and effort, especially from Secretary Duncan. In the meantime, President Obama’s priorities are focused on the Economy, Healthcare, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. I am very concerned that Education reform will not be fourth on the priority list, but pushed further down the line of bureaucratic and legislative red tape. What happens if President Obama does not get reelected and unable to fulfill his promises? I am hoping for President Obama to fulfill some of his educational promises in the near future, but as of right now, he is just kissing the proverbial “baby”.

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