No Child Left Behind: Raising the Standards or Lowering the Bar?

As some of you may know I am a former ASD art teacher. I have my bachelor's degree in art with a concentration in art history from Moravian College, and my teaching certificate in art education from Kutztown Univ., and I'm still working on my masters. I left teaching six years ago because I had a baby and decided to be a stay-at-home mom. Now I see things from both a parent's perspective, and an educator's perspective. My son currently attends 1st grade in the ASD.

I am on the school PTA, and I volunteer at school. At our last PTA meeting the principal told us about the upcoming PSSA testing. He said "Here at ---- School our lives revolve around testing." That sentence really disturbs me. Shouldn't an educator's life revolve around the students and giving them the best education possible? But this is America in 2008. I have seen the changes since the federal No Child Left Behind Act(NCLB) has been implemented and I believe that focusing on testing does not raise standards, but it actually lowers the bar by dumbing down the curriculum. Here's why.

With all the focus on reading and math, other subjects get ignored. When kids cannot make connections across the curriculum, then learning becomes less meaningful. A curriculum that encourages integrating subjects like reading and math with art, music, science, social studies, civics, etc. motivates students and prepares them for real-life experiences. Research has proven that children who study music and art score better on standardized tests. I believe if you are not giving students this kind of well-rounded education, then you are dumbing down the curriculum, and not encouraging critical thinking skills and creativity. These skills are necessary for children to make it in the real world.

Of course kids need to learn the basics so there should be standards. I think those standards should be set at a local level, not by the federal govt. An urban school district like Allentown is under a lot of pressure to meet the standards, and if they don't, they lose what little funding they have. NCLB does not provide the additional funding needed for special programs to help at-risk kids, kids who don't speak English, and special needs kids to score well on tests.

Poverty is one of the big reasons we have so many at-risk kids. I think THAT needs to be addressed first. Public education has been around for a long time, so it is not fair to just blame teachers and say public education is a failure. Many kids in urban school districts are entering first grade with little or no language skills, they are hungry, they are not taken care of at home, some are homeless or in foster care. If basic needs are not met, a child will not be ready to learn. An urban teacher wears many hats including care taker, social worker, psychologist and disciplinarian, working with little resources. I know, I have been there and it is a hard but rewarding job.

I think parents, and tax-paying citizens need to be aware of what is really going on in our schools. Public education and NCLB is a complicated mess, and I believe the children are the unfortunate victims of too much govt. bureaucracy and bad decision making. I am fortunate enough to be able to supplement my son with extra learning activities at home. Many people are not that fortunate. Volunteer at a public school and see what is going on. Don't be afraid to ask about the curriculum.

I know I have just scratched the surface here on NCLB. I want the best education for my child, and I had hoped he would get that at a public school, but what I see really worries me. I am not in the financial position to send him to a private school or to live in an affluent district.

(I know this is a controversial issue, so please be considerate of others while commenting.)