You have the floor….so what are you going to do with it?

Apparently nothing productive.

In an article from the New York Times titled “Democrats Push for Changes to No Child Left Behind Law” writer Diana Jean Schemo reports on the different approaches the Democratic party wants to take with NCLB. Since the Congressional majority has changed, all are interested with what the new leaders will do with their power. After five years in existence, NCLB has not come close to what it wants to accomplish—all student’s math and reading skills at grade level by 2014. On January 8, 2007, Democratic leaders called the law “too punitive” after President Bush stated that he wanted it to be renewed. 

In remarks after the meeting, Mr. Bush predicted a strong bipartisan effort to address “major concerns” about No Child Left Behind “without weakening the essence of the bill.”

He added, “We showed in the past that we can work together to get positive results, and I’m confident we can do so again.” 

Although all parties have expressed that changes need to be made, the Democrats are suggesting many major changes to the bill including: more flexibility, national academic standards, social programming, and increasing spending money.  Senator Edward M. Kennedy from Massachusetts, purposes two of the biggest changes to NCLB. 

His aides said Mr. Kennedy was proposing incentives for states to work together toward common academic standards that would help them and meet the demands of college, work and military service. Currently, states vary wildly in what they consider sufficient progress under the law.

Mr. Kennedy has also suggested expanding social programs for low-income children and putting outreach workers in every impoverished school, as a way of raising achievement. He is also proposing a new federal role in school construction and renovation. 

Senator Kennedy’s approach is providing more for schools instead of pure change. He focuses on the needs of the lower-income schools that seem to have a bigger population of students falling behind. Another approach, taken by Representative George Miller from California, suggests that what needs to change is the funding. He appealed to the Education Secretary, Margaret Spellings, who responded with an undecided agreement,

But Ms. Spellings indicated that the administration would be amenable to changes in a number of areas the Democrats were suggesting, including the incentives to make state standards more rigorous and uniform. She also said that areas of common concern included how to test special education students and those with limited English.

In this, President Bush was right in saying that the parties will be willing to work together. However, the “common concern” that is mentioned on the last line of the article seems to be a secondary issue. What this article shows is that language and literacy have taken a back burner to the bureaucracy concerning NCLB. The Democrats have tried to amend what they have seen to be wrong with the bill but still focus on logistics rather than anything with actual substance. Why increase funding if the government isn’t going to do anything useful with it? NCLB and its suggested amendments lack reality. What started from a magnificent idea has turned into nothing more than a political shortcoming that will never attain its desired effects.

“Democrats Push for Changes to No Child Left Behind Law”

By Diana Jean Schemo

New York Times

January 9, 2007

Full Article

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