Words definitely have power. Our thoughts, hopes and desires are shaped by our understanding of language. So join with me in both the usage and popularization of, "scholasticity".

As a college student, my primary goal for my life right now is to shape my brain into a fiercely effective critical thinking machine and arm it with a wide array of information from many subjects. In a few years, my generation will be running the world and we need to be ready.
I encourage all to comment and criticize upon the issues found on blog to help promote a community that develops scholasticity.

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Changes to "No Child Left Behind" act

Well, the Bush administration's 2002 policy of "No Child Left Behind" is now under examination and congress is in the process of looking at how to divide the national funding and all of the necessary bureaucracy.
Basically, the idea behind the revamp is in the "Race To The Top" program where individual teachers are recognized and schools are given additional funding (or salary) by student IMPROVEMENT rather than national test score. There is even talk of crazy things like correlating principal pay to teacher pay so they aren't making twice to three times the amount the teachers salary no matter how the kids are doing.
And one of the biggest problems of the former "No Child" will hopefully be solved by giving extra money to the bottom 1% of schools to put some money where it's needed most and then wave the rest in front of the schools who are doing okay to try to raise the bar of education. Hopefully Congress gets the details ironed out and we can see what the nation's schools can really do.
Please find out more and let me know if you think this new program will help or hurt our nation's schools.

A pretty thorough Article about what's happening:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-11-04-obamatop04_st_N.htm

Interview with the Secretary of Education about "Race To The Top":
http://vimeo.com/7905225
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2 comments:

  1. WillFebruary 8, 2010 at 2:44 PM

    If we're going to peg grants and salaries to test scores, we should make sure that those scores are measuring the right thing. I read an op-ed piece recently in the NY Times titled "Playing to Learn" which had some interesting ideas about how to make tests a better assessment of what we actually value.

    I think the other aspects of the proposal—international standards and long-term student records—are a step in the right direction, for the same reason we need better tests: using our money wisely to improve our schools requires that we have a good idea of our goals and precise measurements to track our progress.

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  2. Kevin AndersonFebruary 10, 2010 at 11:42 AM

    In response to Will, ultimately how to we change our goals from achievement in standardized tests? Our set-up works in a way that achievement in elementary school to high school leads to getting into a better college (achievement through ACT and good GPA). And at colleges many professors continue in the same standardized path preparing you in the same style for a strictly American job.
    We are so set in our ways, what new idea will sound appealing enough to try something drastically new?

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