Return-Path: <nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id h5H2N8C23632; Mon, 16 Jun 2003 22:23:08 -0400 (EDT) Date: Mon, 16 Jun 2003 22:23:08 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <001201c33477$724e6a00$5749dc42@f0e9v3> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: "Ken Taber" <kentaber@inetgenesis.com> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-POVRACELIT:1145] Re: The Condition of Education, 2003 X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2720.3000 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; Status: O Content-Length: 9790 Lines: 225 I need to modify and correct the statement, "The federal government is spending $80,000,000,000 less in education." The $80 billion dollar figure is when you combine both federal and state spending together. Nation-wide, local school districts are having to burden this loss in educational spending. When money is tight, more and more school districts decide to cut their ESOL programs. The main problem with the NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT (NCLB) is that it does not fund what has legislated the states to accomplish. The economy problems have hurt education issues across the board. With more and more poor schools relying on federal and state money to survive, it leaves the poorest schools without the education support to even take this new legislation seriously. I called NCLB "propaganda" for many reasons. It is full of sound bites and some of the legislation is actually needed but other parts of it not only lack common sense but more importantly are causing the federal government to look foolish. Title 1 reads wells for the most part and deals with accountability issues but Title II which deals with highly qualified teachers was not well thought through and should be amended.One SC teacher is nationally-board certified and as of 2005, will be "highly qualified" but not "certified" because she is a 1st grade teacher who has an elementary certificate and not an early childhood certificate. The same problem happens when a 6th Grade Teacher in a Middle School. Teachers are losing their certification because NCLB thinks they should have something else on their teaching certificate. Now, why waste the taxpayers money with this foolishness.This written unnecessary part of the legislation will cost more money and change little in the classroom. The legislatures really did not do their homework when they wrote Title II. Title III deals with LEP students and what is written is necessary to hold states accountable but the only accountability so far is for states to write plans. There is a whole lot of paper and statistics that states are now accountable for and not enough federal dollars to even attempt to take NCLB seriously. Another reason why NCLB is "propaganda" is that it is partially based on the so-called 100% school completion rate that former Superintendent of the Houston Public Schools Rod Paige (Now President Bush's Education Secretary) reported to have made that was false. Just this past week, Houston has had to admit that students who were going to drop-out when only reassigned to a charter school so they could report no drop-outs. Therefore, the only thing that President Bush has proven is that to leave no child behind you must lie and cheat on your statistics. The whole notion that all American students will graduate from high school with proficient standards lacks common sense. Each state had to come up with a plan on how they were going to have 100% of their students graduate from high school at a proficient level by the year 2014. Take a hard look at your state's NCLB plan and see how state plans to complete their objective. It will either make you laugh or cry. With the news of Rod Paige we now know how to accomplish this task. Just use "fuzzy math" and have drop-outs sign a piece of paper saying they will go to a charter school that they never attend and you too can have a no-drop out rate. It worked for Rod Paige and it will work for you. Also in Texas, there are new school age immigrants that are denied entrance into school because they don't have a green card. Well, there's another Texas example of how to have NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND, it doesn't even take fuzzy math skills. All you have to do is don't let them attend school when they come from Mexico. You can even claim that these children were denied an education for national security reasons. I don't mean to make light of this but this is the condition of education in 2003 and I am not keeping silent. As one independent reporter says, "You have entered the NO SPIN ZONE!! Ken Taber ESOL Teacher kentaber@inetgenesis.com ----- Original Message ----- From: "Andres Muro" <AndresM@epcc.edu> To: "Multiple recipients of list" <nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov> Sent: Monday, June 16, 2003 3:47 PM Subject: [NIFL-POVRACELIT:1144] RE: The Condition of Education, 2003 > thhrthrjoikla WROTE: > > "CAL and the Pa Dept of Education and the Md Dept of Education allow and by their silence condone and reward the travesty of ESL/ESOL in those 2 states.......suffer the little children....for shame" > > Say What???? Can you explain this in English??? BTW, do you have a name, or is your name trhgjhtrjjhhtrty???? > > Andres > > > > > > "Ken Taber" <kentaber@inetgenesis.com> wrote: > > >The reason this condition in education is being silence is the political > >voices that support education have been silent. Yes, it may cost you your > >job. But this is still America and as long as we allow injustice to prevail > >by being silent then we are part of the government's cover-up. We need as > >much media attention to the condition of education as possible. We are > >losing the battle to educate our students. If we don't speak up, who will? > >Can immigrants or students too young to understand the political process > >speak up? That is not their job. It is our job to let our voices be heard. > >If the propaganda is an educational theme that really wants to leave no > >child behind they surely can't prove it by their actions. The federal > >government is spending $80,000,000,000 less in education and states are > >either picking up the tab or transferring that responsibility to the local > >school districts who then must either raise taxes or cut teaching positions. > >It not only our fellow colleagues we should be fighting for, it is that we > >as teachers believe in the premise that we should leave no child behind but > >the political reality is education is worse off today than it was when the > >no child left behind act was passed. We have allowed the federal government > >to continue the propaganda of leaving no child behind but neither the > >federal, state, or local governments want to pay for a better educational > >system. It amounts to just another unfunded mandate. The politicians try to > >keep the public from realizing the truth why they get to talk the two-step. > >If we remain silent at this crucial time in our history, we will have > >ourselves to blame for the educational chaos that is hurting this country. > >Ken Taber > >ESOL Teacher > >kentaber@inetgenesis.com > > > >----- Original Message ----- > >From: "janice sapp" <jansapp007@msn.com> > >To: "Multiple recipients of list" <nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov> > >Sent: Friday, June 06, 2003 1:23 PM > >Subject: [NIFL-POVRACELIT:1139] RE: The Condition of Education, 2003 > > > > > >> Well, I'm not keeping quiet; this is still America and I will not be > >hushed > >> by any Republican demi-god, Mr. Sweet. Or is his name McCarthy? I don't > >see > >> the unsub address on this email; Janice M. Sapp or jansapp007@msn.com > >> > >> > >> ----- Original Message ----- > >> From: <tjjhjr@netscape.net> > >> To: "Multiple recipients of list" <nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov> > >> Sent: Friday, June 06, 2003 10:34 AM > >> Subject: [NIFL-POVRACELIT:1137] RE: The Condition of Education, 2003 > >> > >> > >> > the condition of education .....in 2003......is that more and more > >> teachers are being instructed to break the law in re to immigrant students > >> and they are told to keep silent by the likes of ESL magazine articles and > >> Teacher magazine book promos.....how hypocritical is it to teach children > >to > >> "obey the rules" and "tell the truth" if we as educators foster a climate > >of > >> fear and lawlessness justified by the chase for tenure and lack of money > >for > >> staff and materials.....??? hmmmmmm? > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> > "Mary Ann Corley" <macorley1@earthlink.net> wrote: > >> > > >> > > NCES has just released "The Condition of Education 2003." This report > >> > >summarizes important developments and trends in education using the > >> latest > >> > >available data. The report, which is required by law, is an indicator > >> > >report intended for a general audience of readers who are interested in > >> > >education. The indicators represent a consensus of professional > >judgment > >> > >on the most significant national measures of the condition and progress > >> of > >> > >education for which accurate data are available. The 2003 print edition > >> > >includes 44 indicators in six main areas. This edition also includes a > >> > >special analysis on the reading achievement and classroom experiences > >of > >> > >kindergarteners and 1st graders. > >> > > To download, view and print the entire report or sections of the > >> > >report as a pdf file, please visit: > >> > >http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2003067 > >> > > > >> > > >> > __________________________________________________________________ > >> > McAfee VirusScan Online from the Netscape Network. > >> > Comprehensive protection for your entire computer. Get your free trial > >> today! > >> > http://channels.netscape.com/ns/computing/mcafee/index.jsp?promo=393397 > >> > > >> > Get AOL Instant Messenger 5.1 free of charge. Download Now! > >> > http://aim.aol.com/aimnew/Aim/register.adp?promo=380455 > >> > > > > > > > __________________________________________________________________ > McAfee VirusScan Online from the Netscape Network. > Comprehensive protection for your entire computer. Get your free trial today! > http://channels.netscape.com/ns/computing/mcafee/index.jsp?promo=393397 > > Get AOL Instant Messenger 5.1 free of charge. Download Now! > http://aim.aol.com/aimnew/Aim/register.adp?promo=380455
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Thu Mar 11 2004 - 12:18:07 EST