AASA Statement on State of the Union Address [Barf Alert]

Contact: Amy Vogt Communications and Media Relations Manager 703-875-0723 avogt@aasa.org

ARLINGTON, Va. – The American Association of School Administrators, the professional organization for school superintendents and other school system leaders, today issued the following statement on President Bush’s State of the Union address:

“In his State of the Union address last night, President Bush called on Congress to reauthorize the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) education law. Instead of rushing to renew a broken law with fatal flaws, we need to first engage in a thoughtful debate about what is best for our nation’s children.

“As the Bush Administration acknowledges, public schools nationwide are succeeding in raising student achievement. However, their success is due to state and local actions, not NCLB. While the president agrees that changes need to made to the law, we need to overhaul -- not tweak -- the law to help every child succeed.

“We need to take a hard look at the capacity of the federal government to direct the daily operations of 95,000 public schools and 50 million children. The six years since passage of NCLB have demonstrated that neither Congress nor the president had the will to finance an expanded federal role in education.

“We must continually examine our public schools and make system-wide changes to ensure schools are teaching children the skills they need to compete in the rapidly changing global environment. These 21st century skills include collaboration, ingenuity, problem-solving, creativity and more -- none of which is tested under NCLB.

“As part of retooling our schools to prepare all children to achieve at their highest levels, we need to find new ways to measure students’ progress. Rather than assessing students on a single test score as NCLB dictates, schools should be able to use multiple measures that more accurately reflect students’ individual growth and learning during the school year. In addition, schools need flexibility to meet the individual learning needs of students in special education and students with limited English proficiency.

“The devastating effects of poverty have a significant impact on student achievement. While school systems currently work hard to address the effects of poverty, they cannot eliminate the causes of poverty. Federal efforts to improve student achievement should coordinate with other systems, such as health care, housing and judicial systems, to alleviate the fundamental inequities that perpetuate poverty.

“Every year, President Bush pushes for voucher programs under a new name in a new disguise. While the president has repeatedly failed to fully fund NCLB, he has pushed for voucher schemes that would siphon resources away from public schools -- and the 90 percent of children in the United States who attend public schools -- to pay for children who are often already in private school. Vouchers are a failed idea that has repeatedly been rejected by voters. In 10 different states, ballot initiatives to implement voucher programs have been placed before the public and in every instance public aid for private schools has been rejected by a margin of two-to-one or greater.

“Rather than race to reauthorize NCLB or implement voucher programs that weaken our education system, the president and Congress need to build a new agenda for education that will help every child succeed.”

About AASA AASA, founded in 1865, is the professional organization for more than 13,000 educational leaders across the United States. AASA’s mission is to support and develop effective school system leaders who are dedicated to the highest quality public education for all children. AASA’s major focus is standing up for public education.

This statement was passed down from the Superintendant of Schools in my county. It was distributed by all principals to their faculties. I can't imagine we're the only county to get this. This illustrates better than anything how many teacher associations are opposed to the application of market forces in education. Notice they don't want to eliminate NCLB, but instead they want to "overhaul it". That's code for drastically increase the funding without increasing the accountability.

The worst thing for American education was allowing teachers and administrators to unionize. They have no more concern for the sutdents than the UAW has for the cars they build.

These teacher's unions and the administrators or scared to death of vouchers and the introdution of any free market competition. They know they will not survive in such an environment because private inudstry, working to the same guidelines and standards will out perform them at half the cost...and still be profitable.

...and the actual education of the kids will improve many, many fold.

So...they fight it tooth and nail because they know the public system is failed, that they are tied to it and its lack of accountability and performance standards...and because they fear losing their power and tenor more than anything else.

Allowing private industry into the system to compete to the same standards and then allowing the citizens to use their tax dollars as they see fit within that open system would be the best thing we could do for the education of our children in the last two or more generations.

Instead of rushing to renew a broken law with fatal flaws, we need to first engage in a thoughtful debate about what is best for our nation’s children.

I'm glad you brought this up. Let's start with outlawing teacher's unions followed by eliminating tenure. Next we can, eliminate tenure for administrators as well. Third, we will revoke the teaching credentials of every teacher and administrator and force them to re-apply and pass an examination which measures their intellect. Those found deficient will not be granted credentials. Fourth, you will drop and subject which does not focus on the requirements of English, Mathematics, Hard Science and responsible citizenship.

“we need to first engage in a thoughtful debate about what is best for our nation’s children.”???? Give me a break here. How much “debate” do we need? How long have they been educating the kids of this country? Teach them to read and write and rithmetic dam it. Is that so hard to understand? If you don’t do that, you shouldn’t get payed.

we need to first engage in a thoughtful debate about what is best for our nation’s children.

Answer: Private schools

>.... we need to first engage in a thoughtful debate about what is best for our nation’s children.

Anytime you hear the word “thoughtful,” you know its time to hold on to your wallet, call your children inside, and grab a barf bag.

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