The problem with NCLB is that the federal government should not be involved in education. If you look at the Constitution (I am a H.S. Gov't Teacher)it states nothing in the way of educating America's youth. Thus it automatically becomes a State or Local matter. This is the only reason I ever supported Ronald Reagan, because his sec. of Ed. (Bill Bennett) wanted to get rid of the department altogether. He was write, there is no room in schools for the feds.

Or, does testing do anything besides justify spending a bunch of money for test materials to big testing corporations that don't care if kids pass or fail, just that they get tested?

No.

The testing movement has forced some school districts to drop social studies to meet the demands of the "test em" crowd (would we call them "testes"). Overall, kids are doing more pooly at math, reading and writing...but by god, we are meaasuring it ad infinitum.

Teachers are so busy teaching to the test they can't target kids who are falling behind. Some school districts are hiring instructional specialists who assess where kids aren't meeting the demands of the standardized test, and then devlop specialized instruction targeting the needs of the standardized test. It's a big ass racket.

He was write, there is no room in schools for the feds.

There surely is a place for the Feds. The school lunch progam is one area, Brown v. Board is another. The Feds have supported a lot of research that advances our understanding of learning and learning environments. I have no problem with the Feds setting realistic standards and distal goals based on the findings of good research and practice, as long as those standards and goals don't impact the ability of the classroom teacher to go about the activity of teaching kids.

The big issue here is Rod Paige is a liar and whore for the administration, and the administration is headed by an idiot who shows nothing but contempt for education. Would we expect less from a stupid man?

Lunch Program a good thing? Bull-crap, I see it everyday. I teach at an inner-city school in Cleveland, OH, and I'm telling you the lunch program is a complete waste of money and a huge contributer to the obesity problem this country is currently facing. The students get a terrible meal that is completly non-nutritional, and they wash it down with "Juice" that clearly says on the labe "CONTAINS NO JUICE". Why don't you step into your local school district and see exactly what is going on with this lunch program that you think is a good idea. If not, call me i'll bring you to my school for a day.

As far as your point of Brown v. Board of Ed. That is the dumbest point I have ever heard because that is a constitutional matter that was corrected by the Supreme Court of the U.S., not the Federal Department of Education. The department of education at a federal level is a complete and absolute waste of money. The community of the school district should decide what needs to be taught, and the state should set graduation requirments.

I don't think there's anything in the Constitution about the Feds paying farmers, big corporate whoring farmers like ADM, billions upon billions of taxpayer dollars either, but the Feds do it.

And I don't believe the Constitution talks about the Feds requiring industry to pay attention to the environmental impact of their operations either, but they do.

So if they want to talk about education, they can. The problem isn't Federal Education Statutes, per se, but THIS particular piece of crap that was presented fraudulently to the American People, that is, based on the fraud of the "Houston Education Miracle," which we find out much later after the fact was as bogus as any other bush initiative.

Of course the Fed can have an Education arm. It would be nice if they did one that was useful and worthwhile, and nclb is neither, unless you're one of those that wants to bankrupt eduction and government at all levels.

How much about NCLB do you really know? Do you know that it was first introduced in congress well before most people heard of gwb? Take a moment and try to find out who the original author was...and he turned out to be a huge supporter of NCLB. If you can't figure it out let me know and I'll tell you...you will be shocked.

All I'm saying is crappy policy is crappy policy. Policy is not crappy based on who wrote it.

Correct, crappy policy is indeed crappy policy.

And that's the issue, not who, particularly, wrote the current version.

The version that bush got passed does not accomplish what Ted Kennedy and Goals 2000 and even LBJ envisioned, because the nclb really only seems to be window dressing, and an example of bush in action, i.e. -

Someone proposes a program, in his gut it sounds good, he says go for it, I'll look good, rover whispers sweet nothings in his ear about how it will burnish his reflection in the mirror, ad nauseum, the bill is proposed by a con man to enhance HIS image, the corporatists of the gop decide that the republican dictated Congress will not be wasting money on education, but figure they've got to do something as cover, so they take advantage of the con mans plan, bush's gut, and pass legislative dreck that accomplishes nothing, gets some other corporatists to the trough, and little georgie thinks he's really done something, made himself the educashun prezident, dumped an unfunded mandate on the states, moved another step closer to breaking governments everywhere so that the rapture will be unopposed for the demagogue at the top, well, I think that wraps it up for me.

So who was that original author, not that it really matters?

NCLB and testing in general was an is the perfect politician's scam. Establish a test. No one's ever seen it, so people do badly first time around. Proof of educational crisis. Over three years or so, teachers learn what's on the test and start teaching to it, education turns into test-prepping. Surprise, surprise, test scores go up. Proof of improvement in education, of "solving" the crisis, perfectly timed to the re-election cycle! This idiot-proof scam is what put W on the national radar and is responsible for him being President today. Only one problem... it can only be done once. The initial bump in test scores will not again be repeated. This scam was the basis for our education policy? My question: why were people so stupid not to see this? They didn't pay off everyone, did they? Or did they?

sorry, ignore the "was an". (use preview, use preview.)

Because it was a MIRACLE, Texas style no less!!!