Cairo Association of Teachers - Newsletter

CAT Tracks for July 4, 2006 NEA WILL LOBBY TO FIX NCLB

Coverage of DAY 2 of the National Education Association's Representative Assembly in Orlando, Florida.

From the New York Times...

NEA to challenge 'No Child Left Behind'

By Phil Davis, Associated Press Writer

ORLANDO, Fla. --An overwhelming majority of delegates from the nation's largest education union approved a plan Monday to aggressively lobby Congress for reform of the No Child Left Behind Act.

The National Education Association has fought to change the measure since its beginnings in 2001, but this is the union's most organized effort to date, said Joel Packer, the NEA's policy manager on the act.

"We're moving from just being critics to saying this is our own vision," Packer said. "It is very powerful because it's the voices of classroom teachers."

In an hourlong discussion, only three of the 9,000 members of the union's Representative Assembly argued against the lobbying effort. They said the law was too flawed to fix and wanted the union to focus on repealing it.

A significant number of delegates shouted "No" during the vote, but not enough to swing the outcome.

Union leaders say the basic intentions of No Child Left Behind -- quality schools and skilled teachers -- are good. But the government's "obsessive" focus on testing student skills and punishing failing schools undermines education, said Becky Pringle, a member of the NEA Executive Committee that drafted the new policy.

The plan approved Monday calls for increases in the $23.5 billion budget currently authorized by Congress and a decrease in the number of students in each classroom. The union also is calling for a national minimum wage of $40,000 a year for teachers.

The NEA will push the government to move away from testing as the sole benchmark for success or failure. The teachers favor a series of benchmarks that reflect students' differing demographics and abilities.

NEA President Reg Weaver said the union is securing support from lawmakers and other education organizations.

"The substance of our changes, everybody knows they are good," Weaver said. "We have all kinds of organizations that want this law changed. It's just a matter of the political climate. It's good. We're on the road to success."

The No Child Left Behind Act, passed by Congress in 2001, was championed by President Bush as a way to hold schools accountable. It is up for reauthorization in 2007, but Weaver said he expects debate on reform will come after the 2008 presidential election.

The law requires schools to test students in math and reading and report their scores by group, such as race, disability, English language ability or economic situation. If one group of students fails, an entire school can face penalties.

"It expects every child to progress at the same level and they don't. One size doesn't fit all," said Marilyn Petersen, a Houston-area delegate who has taught special education for 55 years. "We're putting politics in the classroom."

The law initially enjoyed bipartisan support in Congress, but financial support has declined as the war in Iraq and other priorities have made increasing demands on the federal budget. About $1 billion was trimmed from the program's budget this year, and the NEA expects $500 million more will be cut in 2007.

Packer said Monday's vote reflects a recent NEA member attitude survey of 1,000 NEA members, which found a majority dislikes the No Child Left Behind Act but would rather modify it than repeal it.

About 30 percent of NEA members approve of the law, the survey found.