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Educator's Union Votes To Tackle No Child Left Behind Act (union's most organized effort to date)
Local 6 (Florida) ^ | July 3, 2006

Posted on 07/03/2006 2:21:55 PM PDT by Stoat

Educator's Union Votes To Tackle No Child Left Behind Act

 

POSTED: 3:17 pm EDT July 3, 2006

 

With a thundering shout of "aye," 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 represents 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, saying the law was too flawed to fix. They wanted the union to focus on repealing the act. A more significant number of delegates shouted "No" when asked to 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 union will push the government to move away from testing as the sole benchmark for success or failure. They favor a series of benchmarks that reflect the different demographics and abilities of students. NEA President Reg Weaver said the union is securing support from lawmakers and education organizations. No Child Left Behind is up for reauthorization in 2007, but Weaver said he expects debate on reform will come after the 2008 Presidential Election.

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.

Under the law, schools are required 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. Politicians need to come into the classroom, not for a few hours but a few days, and do what we do."

The law initially enjoyed bipartisan support in Congress, but financial support has declined as the war in Iraq and other priorities make increasing demands on the federal budget. About $1 billion was trimmed from the program's budget this year, and the NEA expects another $500 million will be cut in 2007. On Tuesday, the NEA plans to give delegates 10 small cards outlining the union's position and a list of activities people can undertake to change the law. The conference ends Wednesday.

The union will encourage the millions of teachers, college professors and school support personnel in its ranks to barrage their elected officials' phone lines with the NEA message when the act comes up for Congressional reauthorization in 2007. Packer said Monday's vote reflects a recent NEA member attitude survey. The survey of 1,000 NEA members found a majority of the union 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 said. Ron Crouse, a fourth grade teacher from Ashburn, Va., said he has supported the law from its inception. He said there is always room for improvements.

"I think that each year it gets better. I've seen the improvements," Crouse said. "I've seen the changes that are positive for both educators and students. Will we get there entirely in a year? No. But we're certainly making progress."



TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Florida
KEYWORDS: nclb; nea; socialism; socialists; teachers; teachersunions; unions
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 union will push the government to move away from testing as the sole benchmark for success or failure.

Let's see...a guaranteed NATIONAL minimum wage, less work/ fewer pupils, a far fuzzier (i.e. less meaningful) testing scheme....where have I heard that sort of thing before?


1 posted on 07/03/2006 2:21:59 PM PDT by Stoat
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To: Stoat

Yeah...the same people that want to make Bush more accountable...want to make it where they are LESS accountable...sure.


2 posted on 07/03/2006 2:27:50 PM PDT by Txsleuth (FREEPATHON TIME--INDEPENDENCE DAY--TEXAS FREEPERS,we have been challenged...please donate!)
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To: Stoat

another reason to make sure the congress stays republican.
this article once again shows that the last thing the nea cares about is students.


3 posted on 07/03/2006 2:29:35 PM PDT by JohnLongIsland
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To: Stoat

Many conservatives complained when this bill was passed but in the fine print were the things they now want to eliminate, meaning accountability. Produce results or lose federal funds. The chickens are now coming home to roost.

That the Democrats and NEA are against it is proof that is is working.


4 posted on 07/03/2006 2:36:51 PM PDT by Mind-numbed Robot (Not all that needs to be done, needs to be done by the government.)
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To: Stoat
We're spending more on education then we ever have - it is climbing at a rate of almost 10% a year...

and we are graduating kids who can't read or write, and have terrible backgrounds in basic knowledge.

The teacher's unions are the cause of that.
5 posted on 07/03/2006 2:40:08 PM PDT by Fido969 ("being an arrogant, self-important jerk is a prerequisite for becoming a university administrator.")
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To: Stoat

From the same paper:

Employees at Consolidated Computer Call for Raises, Benefits

The employees at this second-tier computer manufacturer recently assembled to raise their voices in a call for enhanced benefits and greater job security. Consolidated Computer, which produces machines with "minor" memory configurations and "less robust" processors, has been in the news lately as a high tech producer of machines that are slower than those produced by industry giants Dell and IBM, and which cannot handle most of the data processing tasks of those companies.

Said Karla Marx, Head of the Consolidated Workers Union, "It's true that our machines crash regularly, need constant repair, cannot handle most routine data processing tasks, and are nonetheless priced higher than those of our competitors. It's also true that there is no tech help available either by telephone or online; however, we feel that a large infusion of taxpayer-funded financial assistance will turn our company around, so that our inferior product will become the national standard."

Marx went on to say that workers feel they "deserve" increased job security, shortened working hours, greatly enhanced health benefits and working conditions, shorter working hours, and longer holidays.

"If we get what we're looking for," she said, "we can begin to turn out a product that will continue to be inferior, but do it with greater speed and in greater comfort."


6 posted on 07/03/2006 3:08:39 PM PDT by Jack Hammer
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To: Stoat
Won't happen; the past is prologue.

Clinton put the Red Chinese in charge of the LA posts. Instead of removing them, out conservative boy tried to put the UAE into examining cargo containers. Then there was "now bankrupt Global Crossing ballooned ... Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe even did ... one better, flipping his $100,000 pre-IPO Global shares into an $18 million windfall." As I said, the past is prologue, TOO MUCH MONEY involved or to be made in NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND. There is a pattern here.
7 posted on 07/03/2006 3:08:54 PM PDT by Sam Ketcham (Amnesty means vote dilution, more poverty aid and we will be bankrupt! Or are we already?)
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To: Sam Ketcham

OOPs LA posts = LA ports out conservative = our conservative.
Mea culpa.


8 posted on 07/03/2006 3:10:43 PM PDT by Sam Ketcham (Amnesty means vote dilution, more poverty aid and we will be bankrupt! Or are we already?)
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To: Stoat
This stupid "Act" has been a bane to schools and curricula. Local authorities should decide how their students are educated not the federal govt.
9 posted on 07/03/2006 3:12:26 PM PDT by raybbr (You think it's bad now - wait till the anchor babies start to vote.)
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To: raybbr

local authority = NEA shills

When have you seen "local authority" lower taxes, adopt more stringent curriculum, and fire incompetent teachers ?

The only answer is to privatize schooling.


10 posted on 07/03/2006 4:03:00 PM PDT by cinives (On some planets what I do is considered normal.)
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To: Stoat

So If I understand correctly, a national minimum wage for teachers is good, but a national minimum standard of performance is discriminatory and doesn't take into account local circumstances?


11 posted on 07/03/2006 6:28:45 PM PDT by bt_dooftlook (Democrats - the "No Child/Left/Behind" Party)
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