No Child Left Behind?...I think not (need input, please)

I recieved a letter in the mail a couple of weeks back. It was from the Board of Education informing me that my childrens' school is below standards according to the No Child Left Behind Act. Then it went on to state that I have the option to move my children to another school.
Here are my issues with this:
A. The reason they were at this school is because they told me they didn't have any openings in the other schools here. So where exactly am I supposed to send them?
B. Why don't you try "fixing" the problem with the school itself, instead of trying to get rid of the kids, especially when there is nowhere to go.

Another problem I have is this- My daughters came home from school last week and told me how the school ran out of lunches, so they had to serve the kids TV dinners and then they ran out of those!

I feel that our children are being cheated out of a future if this is the typical behavior of schools around this country, if other areas are having the same type of problem. My question is this:

Is anyone else experiencing anything like this in their areas? I just returned to "civilian" life after serving in the military for 16 years (half of which was served overseas) so I don't know if it's just regional or international.

I think you get good and bad schools.

I have not seen enough to make a sound judgment but my theory is.

If the school is in a bad area I would assume the effort been applied by the teachers is a lot less due to the fact that the chances of a pupil succeeding is slimmer than that of a good area.

This is just a theory of course and I have no proof to back this up

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Your points are all well taken.

It does seem like the institutions who are the stewards of education, generally, have either not been engaged in 'reality' or have been subjected to so much lobbying and partisanship that they are drunk on it.

As they mandate "No Child Left Behind" they 'sell' it as a way to promise one thing... but in the end, there will be only two types of citizens; educated and under-educated.

Administrations play the game of 'political expedience and relevance' at the cost of the children's future (and thus our nation). They blame all things on what their corporate backgrounds have indoctrinated them to consider "externalities" such as Labor Unions, externally mandated regulators, and of course, "social ills."

It seems clear that when it comes to truly educating children; preparing them to be critical thinkers, innovators, and less-than-'meat'-puppets, office drones, and "obedient" workers; we are on our own.

The letter you received offered you untenable solutions... I would suspect that needs to be addressed at the next school board meeting... assuming you are inclined to confront them.

Originally posted by Hellas
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I think its a good idea to point out and review old threads on the topic... but from 6 years ago? We have much more to go on now than we did then. Speculation has now given way to measurable data.

This thread is fine as it is, and we need to encourage it.

Good heavens, where do you live?? The school cafeteria ran out of food? That's just insane.

The whole "No Child Left Behind" act is a huge joke. Bush Jr. is the child who was left behind intellectually, but thanks to his family's millions, it didn't hurt him one bit.

Schools are now teaching so that kids can regurgitate the proper answers on state tests. As soon as the test is over, they forget everything. Our children aren't taught how to think, but how to be obedient robots who can parrot things back.

Public schools have become obedience factories. I had to teach my kids to think, to examine, to question, and to draw conclusions based on the evidence.

If you got the letter, it means your kid's school failed in its efforts to get kids to be good little automatons, able to pass the meaningless tests. If you have any time at all, you'll have to take over when it comes to teaching your child how to think, how to examine, and how to be creative, because, Lord knows, the schools are only concerned with not displeasing the federal government. What happens to the children later in life is of no consequence to them.

Originally posted by Maxmars

Originally posted by Hellas
There is a Thread already

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I think its a good idea to point out and review old threads on the topic... but from 6 years ago? We have much more to go on now than we did then. Speculation has now given way to measurable data.

This thread is fine as it is, and we need to encourage it.

I didn't check the date on it! You're right. I pointed to the wrong one. Anyhow

This Is why parents really need to take an active role in what their children learn AT HOME.
Public school systems suck.
but if you teach your child at home ON TOP of what the school teaches them,
they should get a good education.
I think a lot of parents just send theirs kids to school and let the schools deal with everything education wise. Almost like a free babysitter, and this creates a lot of problems because the parents do not take an active role in what and how their children learn.
The school system needs to be fixed, and a lot of that fixing comes from you and I as parents.

reply to post by DivineFem


We got that in Greece, too. It's the worst for the kids, because they have their friends there etc. The reasons given in Greece are that there are to many kids for the teachers they have in that school. What they're doing now, is closing a lot of schools in a particular region and make one school for everybody

Originally posted by Darkblade71
This Is why parents really need to take an active role in what their children learn AT HOME.
Public school systems suck.
but if you teach your child at home ON TOP of what the school teaches them,
they should get a good education.
I think a lot of parents just send theirs kids to school and let the schools deal with everything education wise. Almost like a free babysitter, and this creates a lot of problems because the parents do not take an active role in what and how their children learn.
The school system needs to be fixed, and a lot of that fixing comes from you and I as parents.

I agree, but then what? Is your kid going to apply at the university with the degree, dad printed on the computer?

To teach them ON TOP is the way every parent does it, or at least should..

I'm really sorry to hear your news OP.

When my eldest was a baby (yeah I know, a bit young) I rang the head of schools for our authority, to ask "how I garrunteed my child didn't end up in a 'bad' school ?"

The answer I received was "There are no 'bad' schools in our area, there are only 'good' schools, the only failing school we had has been shut down."

Oh yeah, the school in the worst area of town, which led to the children of that area in cases having to travel 3 miles to school each day, and spread the offspring from substandard parents across the city.

That was a fantastic move, the end result, was the school I went to, ceased to be as effective at producing results, when I was there the school was the best in the area, sadly no more.

I strongly believe the success of schools begins in the pupils homes.

My old heamaster used to say...."A school isn't made from books, and brickwork, it is made from the teachers, parents, and students, without them, there is no school."

no child left behind = everyone wait for the stupid kid.

Then it went on to state that I have the option to move my children to another school.
Here are my issues with this:
A. The reason they were at this school is because they told me they didn't have any openings in the other schools here. So where exactly am I supposed to send them?
B. Why don't you try "fixing" the problem with the school itself, instead of trying to get rid of the kids, especially when there is nowhere to go.

Key word, Option

www.thefreedictionary.com...
op·tion (pshn)
n.
1. The act of choosing; choice. See Synonyms at choice.
2. The power or freedom to choose.

You have the option (power to choose) the school is not obligated to find another school for you.

Another problem I have is this- My daughters came home from school last week and told me how the school ran out of lunches, so they had to serve the kids TV dinners and then they ran out of those!

I feel that our children are being cheated out of a future if this is the typical behavior of schools around this country, if other areas are having the same type of problem.

They ran out of hot lunches on day and you have the option to move your child to another school and somehow that means they are being cheated out of a future?

I appreciate all the input. I live in Buffalo, NY which happens to be my hometown but it resembles nothing of the city I grew up in. I should have thought this move out a bit more before just expecting things to be the same.

Oh well, I just have to do the best I can.

reply to post by DivineFem


When i was in High school they were just coming out with No child Left Behind, also with that they decided to rework the list of requried classes list my final year i also had to switch schools. I was big into the JROTC program and worked my way up to the top, the school i was switched to didnot have this program which was included as a Physical education and health credit course. When i got to my new school i had less than a sememster before i graduated and they decide that i had to retake all of my health and physical edu. classes because they no longer recognized JROTC for those credits. So i was going to have to take another full year full of classes i didnt even need just to get these "required credits". On top of that i just turned 19 so when i went to the office to discuss this they determined that i was too old to be there and withdraw me. My grades were no less than a C average and i never got in trouble.

I recieved my GED a week later because i was ineligible to take an adults course for a high school diploma. I never got to graduate with my friends that i grew up with, never got to walk across the stage or go to the party afterwards. The public education system cheated me out of more than i realized at the time and seemed more focused on catering to those who couldn`t speak english than providing a decent education. Now it seems more of a control institution than anything, must be getting the kids ready to live in a police state.

The purpose of the 'No child left behind' is only to ensure that those kids whom either have difficulty in classes or are just slower learners would be place in better structured classes to help them progress that ordinary schools may not have the budget or the skills to do so.

Thus the request to find a better school.

Having said that, I am shocked that they would leave your kids on their own. This is not the Principle of such policy. The school administration oughta be sacked! They could have a better discourse with parents, provide the options and fully assessed the child before coming to such decisions, to find out the reasons, be it teacher or the student's errors to be corrected and rectified.

It is good that you brought up this case, and may the elected representative look into the case, study it from all angles and take the necessary measures to ensure that the ' No child left behind' truly lives up to its noble aims.

As for the food supply and lack, it may be due to the lack of state or federal funding , or simply plain mismanagement, which the school must look seriously into it. Food is critical to each growing child, and it is horrible shame to a progressive society if ANY american child is left hungry. We adults can go hungry, but we must NEVER allow children to go empty belly.....

One of the best choices we ever made for our children's future was to move to a town that had excellent schools.

They've both done very well.

I don't think that having your kids at a substandard school will do anything except hold them back.

Figure out where the good schools are in your area and get your kids into them. It's your obligation as a parent.

reply to post by Hellas


You are right, every parent should, but many of them don't.
At least not in the US.
Everything has changed a lot. Back when I was growing up in the 80's it was getting bad, but now it is a lot worse.
It is moral decline that goes right through the fabric of the education system. The reason it does is because many moral values are not being taught to the children anymore at home, AND because children are simply processed through the education system. Over time it has created the system we have now. A dysfunctionally functional system, much like many families.

Just my opinion, but after going through the system, that is what I have seen.

Originally posted by Darkblade71
reply to post by Hellas

 

You are right, every parent should, but many of them don't.
At least not in the US.
Everything has changed a lot. Back when I was growing up in the 80's it was getting bad, but now it is a lot worse.
It is moral decline that goes right through the fabric of the education system. The reason it does is because many moral values are not being taught to the children anymore at home, AND because children are simply processed through the education system. Over time it has created the system we have now. A dysfunctionally functional system, much like many families.

Just my opinion, but after going through the system, that is what I have seen.

The problem is, that most of the parents are brainwashed with the whole political correctness. "Let your child express himself.. let him do whatever he wants".. That's Bull. He has to sit down and learn and if he isn't paying attention, make him!

reply to post by DivineFem


I can hear you, loud and perfectly clear. Public schools are going downhill these days, all have become "corporations," which is wrong, because they were first, "Public." A thing cannot be public, and corporate at the same time. I live in Southern Ohio in a small town. Our local school system is broke. Last year they got a government grant for one million dollars. What did they do wit the money? Installed an expensive surveillance system, sand blasted the walls and re-mortared them with read mortar, and paved the road leading to the school as cheaply as possible. Now they are asking for a tax abatement, so they can stay open. All they teach there is useless facts. We already pulled our youngest out and Home Schooled him, we are pulling out the oldest as soon as the year is finished. ECOT of Ohio is 1000% better than the local school, as far as education goes.

You are getting that sort of message from the school district because the NCLB Act requires them to inform you and offer you a choice. Public schools are not doing well because of a variety of factors, not all of which are their fault. You have the community, of course, and if it's full of gang bangers, your school district is not going to do well no matter what they try. So, a parent needs to be proactive.

In my case, I moved. I moved into the "best" school district in my area. It is well-supported by the community. Their levies always pass. Their students excel. It has a number of clear advantages and, of course, it is resented by surrounding communities who claim it is full of "Yuppies" and snobs. That's kind of the price for success. If you succeed, it can't possibly be because of your own hard work. It must be because you took advantage of others. That's because we're all equal, so if you do better than me, it's your fault. That's how backwards we are today and we all have to live with it.

Another possibility is home schooling. Of course, you as a parent have to be home to do it. My grandson has some learning difficulties, especially with speech. He sounds like Elmer Fudd. I know why. It's a long story. he was sick as a young kid and some brain cells burned out. In any case, he wasn't doing well in a regular (and good) school district, so he was home schooled last year and jumped two grade levels in one year. That's because the state provided an entire home school setup, with dedicated teachers. Frankly I was somewhat against this idea and didn't see how home schooling could work, but I've changed my mind after I saw what it could do for him.

Now there are those who will say, "well, I can't move and home schooling is not an option for me because I have to work." etc., etc. I understand how you might think that, but if you don't do something, your kid is going to end up in the same place he is now. It's really your choice. You can do something or you can not do something. For you, OP, and to everyone else in a similar circumstance, good luck.