No Child Left Behind

How Much Can Obama Screw Up Education?

During his radio address on Saturday Obama announced that he would be sending to Congress on Monday his blueprint for sweeping changes to No Child Left Behind. While I agree that changes need to be made in No Child Left Behind when I first read about the news of this today I was not jumping for joy until I heard what was in this blueprint. Will these changes be for the better or will they take a bad plan and make it worse.

Then I read the article in the LA Times and I must say I'm concerned about what this blueprint is going to look like because of a few things stated in the times.

Some teachers' union officials, who have previewed the plan to be unveiled Monday, said it could end up just rewarding the top 10% of schools. Obama did not detail Saturday how his proposal would affect teachers, but education groups were offering comments -- pro and con -- on the role it envisions for teachers.

In an initial review of Obama's plan, Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, said it made teachers the sole "scapegoat" if students' test scores did not improve -- much more so than principals, school administrators, parents and the students themselves.

"This blueprint places 100% of the responsibility on teachers and gives them zero percent authority," Weingarten said. "For a law affecting millions of schoolchildren and their teachers, it just doesn't make sense to have teachers -- and teachers alone -- bear the responsibility for school and student success."

Weingarten added that the federation was "surprised and disappointed" by the Obama plan and that the group plans to gather input from teachers around the nation before deciding how to officially respond to the proposals.

So if you think teachers are teaching to the test now, you just wait and see what happens if you are going to make the teacher 100% to blame and every thing based on test scores. There will be nothing happening in the class room except teaching what is on the test.

I will wait and reserve my full judgment until Monday when we have a chance to see what is really passed on to Congress. But the early report does not sound good for education.

Stand Up For Schools

• In the last two years, $17 billion was cut from schools and colleges.

• Entire art, music and PE programs were eliminated.


• More than 16,000 educators were laid off.


• And large California corporations enjoyed tax breaks.

In Exeter, CA the day started off with teachers, Elementary School Board Members, classified staff, and district office personnel all coming together to show their support and stand up for our schools. The next step is to put the pressure of Sacramento that they can not keep making the largest cuts in the state budget to education. In the last several years the largest percentage of the state budget cuts have come to education.

California is now ranked 46th in education spending, $2,400 below the national average. K-12 schools have suffered 60% of the state budget cuts - hurting an entire generation of children. Summer school has been canceled in districts across the state.

Education accounts for the largest part of the state budget so it is the easiest and quickest thing for the legislature to cut when time get tough. Well they have cut and cut and cut the last few years and it is time to find some place else to make those cuts.

It is also time to put someone up there in Sacramento at the top advising what is needed most for education someone that knows education best. Instead of it being some suite it needs to be a seasoned teacher up there that understands education and kids. Maybe then you will have that education reform everyone is always talking but we never get.