One of the most significant occurrences in public education during my Superintendency has been the “No Child Left Behind Act” (NCLB) which was passed with the intention of changing and improving public education. The act is significant because it is the first time the federal government has inserted itself into determining the quality of K-12 education at the local level. NCLB captures both the best and worst of current educational thought.
The recognition of the importance in understanding our children’s learning needs through good academic assessment has been a major positive change. Educators have the best chance for success when we are using academic performance data about each individual child to inform instruction.
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Mr. Rainwater’s philosophical beliefs toward education are the biggest cause of the NCLB. He, and others who share his beliefs created the environment they now complain about. To wit:
Mr. Rainwater states the following:
Schools will not succeed because of the NCLB strategy of applying sanctions; schools will succeed when:
1) “The need for change is understood based on clear and convincing data,”
2) “well planned staff development provides teachers with “best practice” skills”
3) “Progress is monitored for improvement.”
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He has been supplied such data with the recent research submitted to him regarding Reading Recovery. 50% success. I live in Hortonville, WI and our district gets the same results. http://www.nrrf.org supplies plenty of “clear and convincing” data. A recent independent research at http://www.air.org shows how the concept of “balanced litercy” has “limited” effectiveness. He asks for clear and convincing data, and then ignores it when it does not conform to the constructivist religion he believes in.
If a doctor ignores current research into “best practices” he’ll get sued or worse. If an attorney ignores current legal precedent, potential clients will choose another attorney. If I ignore current OSHA, IRS, or DATCP standards, my business will be shut down.
Mr. Rainwater’s immunity from this type of scrutiny now appears to be over. Perhaps now our children will not be subjected to every new edu-fad that comes along. Perhaps a new curricula will now have to demonstrate long-term success before it is used. Perhaps Mr. Rainwater’s profession will now undergo the same scrutiny the rest of us have always had to live with.
Reed Schneider