No Child Left Behind (The Bush Agenda)

[ADL Colin]

http://www.nclb.gov/

What do you think of Bush's "No Child Left Behind" Act?

Here is the FAQ. http://www.nochildleftbehind.gov/next/faqs/index.html

[I Am The Walrus]

no child gets left behind...... they just get moved to other forms of tutoring

nice way to bump up the figures 'on paper' bush

[ADL Colin]

An interesting sidebar. Meritocracy holds that all people should have the same opportunities. In such systems the nurture factor becomes more and more the same for all people. Does this mean that genetic factors of intelligence will become more important over time?

Will there be a genetically superior upper class?

[ADL Colin]

Originally posted by I Am The Walrus
no child gets left behind...... they just get moved to other forms of tutoring

nice way to bump up the figures 'on paper' bush

Do you think George Bush doesn't really care about education or that he just has wrong solutions?

[I Am The Walrus]

Originally posted by Colin
Do you think George Bush doesn't really care about education or that he just has wrong solutions?

to be honest i couldnt give a shit the guy is a fuckwitt - plain and simple

[freeadultcontent]

nevermind will not bash him today despite my gut feelings.

[The Truth Hurts]

Originally posted by I Am The Walrus


to be honest i couldnt give a shit the guy is a fuckwitt - plain and simple

Nothing like backing up you beliefs with a generic insult.

[directfiesta]

Originally posted by The Truth Hurts


Nothing like backing up you beliefs with a generic insult.

If someone should know, it's YOU....

[<IMX>]

Originally posted by Colin
An interesting sidebar. Meritocracy holds that all people should have the same opportunities. In such systems the nurture factor becomes more and more the same for all people. Does this mean that genetic factors of intelligence will become more important over time?

Will there be a genetically superior upper class?

I'm not going to read the whole site...hopefully it is a non-partisan solution to the nation's educational crisis...


Ok, now that I have that out of my system.

You raise an interesting point Colin; however...
By it's very nature capitalism is far from a meritocracy.
(Wealth is inherited).

That?s one of the large inconsistencies that makes America so great ;)

In addition, as I'm sure you know, intelligence in the strictest since of intellectual capacity does not equal academic success, wealth, or happiness.

In the capitalist society in which NCLB exists money can buy resources, admissions, and in essence more success.

It?s done wonders for your alum chums the Bushies?and 322 (for all you illumaniti conspiracy theorists?)

In Addition, from personal experience, some of the most intelligent people I?ve met and know (among them a Mac Arthur ?Genius? Award winner), were also some of the least successful.

In addition, intelligence can be a hindrance in providing a nurturing environment for children. Some of the most fucked-up people I?ve met in my travels have rich, important and intelligent parents.

[SexxxyChat-T]

The problem with NCLB act is that it provides no extra funding to states to pay for these special programs.

The problem we are having nationwide is school districts not being able to afford new books, facilities, etc (as well as a shortage of teachers, but thats because they don't get paid shit for the job they do)

So really all Bush has done is crippled every school district in the nation with an even bigger monetary problem.

Legislation like this will eventually collapse the public school system and introduce the privatization of schooling... which in my opinion is the bigger picture that either Bush, or his puppetmasters, are aiming for.

If you'll recall the 2000 election debates where Bush was trying to pimp out his school vouchers aimed at getting people to put their kids in private schools...

This is not the answer to our school crisis

[cherrylula]

I don't think Bush, as a person, has any sort of idea just how bad the education really sucks right now.

He was born with money and has absolutely no sense of what the fuck is wrong with schools and how bad it really is because he's a fucking goon who probably has never even washed his own dirty laundry.

My sister was working with learning disabled kids at a school in San Bernardino, CA, and you wouldn't believe the things she had to deal with.

Sad as it is to say, she has put off her goal of becoming a teacher. Because of all the budget cuts she moved onto another career because her job security was going to shit, and she saw all the woes of the teachers she worked with and changed her mind. She found out how little they make as well.

Anything he tries to present to this nation in regards to improving education he can wipe his ass with. The guy really just wants to get re-elected.

But in regards to the work related stories my sister would tell me... just amazing. Kids attempting suicide, bringing guns to school, pissing themself in class... and this was a high school level class. She once found out a smart ass kid she had reprimanded had a gun on him at the time. Lucky he didnt pull it out.

Neglectful parents just send their kids off to school and expect the education system to teach them about life and the world around them. And career politicians really caring about education is a joke. If they cared they would be teachers, not fucking politicians.

I also have an aunt giving lectures to high school right now trying to recruit kids to become teachers because there is such a huge shortage of willing victims.

Its so depressing. So many children lost and helpless.

[Lane]

Originally posted by Colin
An interesting sidebar. Meritocracy holds that all people should have the same opportunities. In such systems the nurture factor becomes more and more the same for all people. Does this mean that genetic factors of intelligence will become more important over time?

Will there be a genetically superior upper class?

80% of american millionaires are self-made. (taken from that book "Millionaire Next Door"). And is there proof that intelligence is strictly related to genes? I bet a healthy pregnancy and the pre-education of the child (by its parents) in its early years has a much bigger effect.

First educate the parents, than give the children the same opportunities.

[MagicksAntics]

I'm pretty happy about the situation at the moment. Just today I went to pick up the Title I transfer applications for my kids. And I am FUCKING HAPPY that they are getting out of their current school!

It's not the kids...it's not the teachers...it's the administration. Last year the principle of that school flat out lied (no half-truths, no open-to-interpretation statements...just fucking LIED) in order to protect a school employee that put our daughter in physical danger. We went to the school board, everywhere, with no relief. This was only one of many incidents that year. We applied for transfers, and were denied because of the principle's denial of what happened. He himself admitted to the entire incident over the phone to both myself and my husband, and said the staff member would be reprimanded (which never happened). Then surprise, a couple weeks later the school board findings dropped our request for transfer because the principle basically said that "It didn't happen, and I didn't say that".

ANY school administrator that will put their ass before any child's safety and well being is in the wrong job. And it's one hell of a scary moment when, as a parent, you realize that your children spend 8 hours of their day in the hands of a person that will do just that. When all was said and done, yes, the school was definately taking extra-special care of our kids. But the fact that we had to kick and scream just to get a NORMAL level of care is insane.

So today...as this principle is looking at me with tears in his eyes, assuring me that the staff member has learned from the mistake, and is almost pleading with me to not transfer the kids out of his school...this comes out of his mouth:

"If all the smart kids leave, then what chance to we have of coming off Title I?"

Nice, eh? So I don't know about the rest of the world, but Title I is working JUST FINE for me.

Oh, and one more thing. The incident that happened last year ended up being his word against ours. This time...one word baby, one word: Recorder.

[Webby]

Do you think George Bush doesn't really care about education or that he just has wrong solutions?

I am sure he genuinely cares about education, but only if there is some political advantage or a photo opportuntiy.

Same with anything else.. economy, health blah. This is an Admin that loves "words", but they have no substance - that is clear in the track record since he was half elected. Kinda pointless.

[Centurion]

Originally posted by Colin


Do you think George Bush doesn't really care about education or that he just has wrong solutions?

Probably both.

[basschick]

first off, it only pertains to public schools.

second, when the war with iraq started, all public schools in this area were forced to drop things like music, art and other non academic subjects on the elementary school level. the funds were to be applied to the war effort, we were told. my granddaughter and her friends were heartbroken to lose those subjects.

since it's been proven again and again and again that children who are introduced young to art, music and related things do better in school and in life, there's something missing from this agenda :-(

[Mr.Fiction]

If you don't know about the "Texas Miracle" scam that Bush lied about during his campaign, do a Google search.

Here is one of the articles:

ROBERT KIMBALL, an assistant principal at Sharpstown High School, sat smack in the middle of the "Texas miracle." His poor, mostly minority high school of 1,650 students had a freshman class of 1,000 that dwindled to fewer than 300 students by senior year. And yet - and this is the miracle - not one dropout to report!

Nor was zero an unusual dropout rate in this school district that both President Bush and Secretary of Education Rod Paige have held up as the national showcase for accountability and the model for the federal No Child Left Behind law. Westside High here had 2,308 students and no reported dropouts; Wheatley High 731 students, no dropouts. A dozen of the city's poorest schools reported dropout rates under 1 percent.

Now, Dr. Kimball has witnessed many amazing things in his 58 years. Before he was an educator, he spent 24 years in the Army, fighting in Vietnam, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel and touring the world. But never had he seen an urban high school with no dropouts. "Impossible," he said. "Someone will get pregnant, go to jail, get killed." Elsewhere in the nation, urban high schools report dropout rates of 20 percent to 40 percent.

A miracle? "A fantasy land," said Dr. Kimball. "They want the data to look wonderful and exciting. They don't tell you how to do it; they just say, 'Do it.' " In February, with the help of Dr. Kimball, the local television station KHOU broke the news that Sharpstown High had falsified its dropout data. That led to a state audit of 16 Houston schools, which found that of 5,500 teenagers surveyed who had left school, 3,000 should have been counted as dropouts but were not. Last week, the state appointed a monitor to oversee the district's data collection and downgraded 14 audited schools to the state's lowest rating.

http://mathforum.org/epigone/mathed-news/trimpfrahthol

[Webby]

Mr.Fiction:

If you don't know about the "Texas Miracle" scam that Bush lied about during his campaign, do a Google search.

This story was also covered by the main press in the US - yep, another load Bush "fantasy" - never ends