technicianonline.com / 09.10.2004

The sorry state of education
Posted: 09.10.2004
Matt Campbell, Staff Columnist

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When it comes to education, in the last few years we have been graced with the presence of the No Child Left Behind Act. This piece of legislation, backed by the educational know-how of President Bush, does very little for the schools of America, especially the ones that need the most help. In general, the No Child Left Behind Act is requiring schools to have a nearly perfect rate of students at or above grade level in core subjects. Failure to do so will lead to various stages of probation, ultimately ending in the severing of federal funds to the school.

Accountability is the key word in all of this. Schools are now given the accountability to have nearly all students from all backgrounds and learning abilities at or above grade level. However, right off the bat, this proves to be an unfair situation. By giving schools ultimate accountability, such responsibility is shifted out of the hands of the individual students. The family at home is also being relieved of all educational duties and, most importantly, the federal government is not to blame for any failures.

What you then get is a situation where if a child fails to meet required scores on standardized tests, the school is to blame. Ignore the fact that the student could have taken a lazy approach to his or her school work. Forget the fact that unemployment could have parents and guardians constantly working away from the house, if there is a house at all. Finally, turn your head away from the government who, instead of giving schools adequate funding enabling them to improve and succeed, is threatening to take away the little funding schools already receive.

Does it make any sense? Schools in higher-income areas most likely to succeed under these guidelines. Not surprisingly, these are schools with a wealth of computers, enthusiastic teachers and a safe learning environment. Whatever money doesn't come from the government will come from local corporations and the clout of the school's parents. On the other hand, schools in lower-income areas that desperately need increased funding because they are struggling to succeed will now have their air supply cut off.

If this trend continues, get used to the word 'vouchers.' School vouchers are a fixture in the policy of a certain side of the political spectrum. For schools that cannot meet the requirements set forth by the government and lose federal funding, they will close down. Parents will then blame the school, refusing to place any blame on their children, themselves, or their government. Why? Well that's because the government said so. Plus, the government will serve as the cushy teddy bear with the answers. What is the answer, you say? School vouchers, of course, allowing students from failing schools to go to prospering private schools and Big Poppa Government is cutting the check. Except the check that is written doesn't cover nearly all the costs required and for a student from a poor background, well, good luck.

Very sneaky those politicians are. For this to be justified, they must have quite amazing ideas for schools. Well, no they don't. See, the performance of students is based on standardized tests. Yes, the same standardized tests that are scrutinized because of their unfair nature. Who am I to judge though? What if a student from an ESL program or a special education class makes vast improvements over the course of a year but still fails to meet the grade level? Well, sorry, you lose. The education gap is closing, but it is still vast and improvement, not performance, should be taken into account.

What about the students who are passing with flying colors? Does a school get more credit for having more students with straight A's? No, schools get no credit of the sort in this pass/fail scenario. As a result, students who are easily succeeding are ignored for students who are at and around the passing level. By focusing on these students, you will ensure having the most students passing, not the most students who did the best. So while the goal is to have no child left behind, the goal must also be for no child to get ahead.

Just as standardized tests were becoming obsolete, they have now become the measuring stick once again. With technology slowly being incorporated into schools and with more and more research on education, schools should be using education as a way to prepare students for the world ahead of them. Then again, this should prepare them for the divided world of the haves and have-nots where money can do a lot of talking -- if you have any.


Matt gets fired up about issues like these