"Obama: Rewrite No Child Left Behind before next school year"
The Washington Post
March 14, 2011
Summary: The article stated that President Obama asked Congress on Monday to rewrite the No Child Left Behind law by fall, escalating the urgency of his campaign for an overhaul of public education.“I want every child in this country to head back to school in the fall knowing that their education is America’s priority,” Obama said in the school’s gymnasium at Kenmore Middle School in Arlington County. “Let’s seize this education moment. Let’s fix No Child Left Behind.” Obama's plan calls for less-intrusive federal oversight for most public schools but more aggressive efforts to fix the lowest performers.
Intended audience: All readers
Key points: 1. Obama set his first public timetable for legislators to revise the nine-year-old law, which in recent years has lost much of its luster.
2. Whether lawmakers can fulfill his wish to approve a bill by the end of summer is unclear.
3. The law is broken, Word said. “I’m ecstatic and delighted to hear he’s going to fix it,” the principal said of Obama.
Relevance: I am on the agree side to have NCLB fixed. Let's wait and see how it will be fixed.
Clearly the oversights of the federal government have not had many great impacts on the system. How do we expect the federal government to make a "one size fits all" plan that will address the needs of each individual state, district or school? It makes the most sense that there be less federal oversight and instead encourage a local level focus on how to strengthen our system.
ReplyDeleteThe administrators and principles will know the population, students and parents in the most efficient way possible and be able to best determine the creative ways to improve student learning and performance. They will be able to address concerns, and best reward the systems that prove to be valid.
Who knows what will come of any rewrite, but hopefully it becomes a more empowering model.