With all of its good intentions, most educators say that No Child Left Behind has resulted in teachers teaching to the test rather than captivating students with a love of learning. In an effort to turn this around, Arne Duncan and his administration are writing a new bill which they hope to complete by August of 2010. Here’s an excerpt from today’s New York Times article featuring some of the goals of the new law:
“The administration would replace the law’s pass-fail school grading system with one that would measure individual students’ academic growth and judge schools based not on test scores alone but also on indicators like pupil attendance, graduation rates and learning climate.â€
LifeBound’s student success and transition programs follow these reform goals through our developmental stair-step programs. Our curricula is designed to equip students for navigating the issues and opportunities inherent to each transition point for grades 5-12, by boosting academic, emotional and social intelligences. Starting with our book for the 5th to 6th grade transition, SUCCESS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL, each program fosters learning in a context relevant to each grade level. Our book for 8th graders, MAKING THE MOST OF HIGH SCHOOL, gives students a leg-up on what will be expected of them in high school. Our teacher training and data assessments offer a comprehensive approach to closing the achievement gaps in schools nationwide and prepare students with 21st century skills. For samples of the new editions of our books and review copies of books already in print, please call our national office toll free at 1.877.737.8510 or email contact@lifebound.com
How can we be more effective at implementing programs that help students connect what they’re learning to the current issues they face?
How can we engage the minds of students so they develop a love of learning rather than drilling them on rote facts that intersect little with their reality?
How can we champion not only our students but school officials, teachers, counselors and ourselves to be our best and promote a better system for educating our students?
ARTICLE:
March 13, 2010
NYTIMES
Obama Calls for Major Change in Education Law
By SAM DILLON
The Obama administration on Saturday called for a broad overhaul of President George W. Bush’s No Child Left Behind law, proposing to reshape divisive provisions that encouraged instructors to teach to tests, narrowed the curriculum, and labeled one in three American schools as failing.
By announcing that he would send his education blueprint to Congress on Monday, President Obama returned to a campaign promise to repair the sprawling federal law, which affects each of the nation’s nearly 100,000 public schools. His plan strikes a careful balance, retaining some key features of the Bush-era law, including its requirement for annual reading and math tests, while proposing far-reaching changes.
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