The NCLB waiver is evil!
I've been reading about the proposed
FCAT scoring and school grading policies being adopted by the Florida State
Board of Education. It seems that one of
the major factors being cited by the State for developing these policies
is the need to comply with NCLB waiver requirements.
On the federal level, it has been
tremendously disappointing to see that the Obama administration has been complicit in perpetrating further
damage to our educational system by supporting, through a lack of ideas and
initiative, NCLB. Their idea of a waiver
is to force states to develop policies in order to make state mandates look
more NCLB-like. The reason to get out
from NCLB is because NCLB doesn't work...GET IT?
But instead of developing a federal
policy that improves our educational system, a federal bureaucrat came up with
the non-waiver waiver idea. Now the
USDOE can say they are "maintaining high standards" and at the same
time, pass the blame off to the states
when these discriminatory policies "hit the fan."
Evil!
I must admit that I will vote for Obama
this year. I believe, considering the
hand he was dealt, he has had a number of accomplishments. However, his administration has accomplished
NOTHING in the field of education. In
reality, he has allowed Arne Duncan to make things worse. I haven't seen him play but I understand that
Arne's contribution to the Obama cabinet is that he is a serious baller. Maybe he should use his
"expertise" for beating a match-up zone instead of beating down public
education.
I will also admit that if one of the
"geniuses" that make up the GOP field had a viable plan for public
education, I would seriously consider voting for him. Unfortunately, I facetiously call them geniuses
for a reason. Our best bet seems to be a
second Obama term. One can hope that the
President replaces his b-ball pal with a true educator.
On the state level, because these
policies discriminate (see "Florida Grading System Reaches New Lows")
against students from low income and minority families, the State Board of
Education should abandon the proposed policies, abandon the waiver altogether
and let the NCLB chips fall. The Feds
are clearly uncomfortable dealing with the political fallout from having a nation
of non-AYP schools. By meeting their waiver requirements, states allow the
USDOE to continue to do nothing to remedy the nightmare known as NCLB. Forget the waiver...make the Federal
government fix the stupidity they foisted upon us.
However, this would be the right thing
to do and my sense is that this will not occur for a variety of reasons.
First...most in our state legislature
have made their careers out of trashing
public education. It would take an act
of political courage (not to mention ethics) for a politician to admit that
using tests is discriminatory and wrong AND then take action to rectify the situation. Political courage AND ethics in the Florida
legislature? Not happening!
Next, the big money is in testing...at
both the state and federal level.
Publishers write the tests, the texts that supposedly address the test
item specs, as well as the supplemental materials meant to help our language
acquisition students and students with disabilities. Publishers have always put large sums of
money into the campaign coffers of politicians.
(Only a drop in the bucket compared to the amount to be made off
testing.) That amount has grown
exponentially since the inception of the A+ Plan in Florida and NCLB
nationally. Need I say more? If so, re-read the last few sentences of the
previous paragraph.
More evil!
Also, these policies give those who
have a privatization agenda for our educational system more ammunition. As schools struggle to make the grade in the
face of institutional discrimination, politicians bellow that only a private
entity can help our kids.
This is another area where money has had
a huge influence. There is money to be
made in the privatization of public education.
Since Jeb Bush, our governors have established a climate that encourages
privatization of most state services including education. Regardless of the fact that none of the
privatization initiatives (nationally) have been truly successul, money talks.
Pure evil!
Finally...and this is big...no matter
how discriminatory these policies may be, the waiver from NCLB gives political
cover to our state legislators and board of education. When questioned, they can point their fingers
at the NCLB waiver. They can tell us
that it is the Feds' fault that the State of Florida is discriminating against
schools that serve minority and/or low income populations. They can say the State must discriminate
because it's the only way Florida can get out from under the thumb of the
Feds. In other words, "The devil
made me do it!"
So, there you have it. The NCLB waiver (and the new test-scoring
policy) benefits no students, no parents, no teacher, no school. Many students, parents, teachers and schools
are in harm's way as a result of the waiver.
Meanwhile, the fortunes of politicians, publishers and privateers continue
to grow...and it's all done under cover...under the cover of the NCLB waiver.
The devil made them do it, alright. How else can one explain such evil?