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THE PUBLIC RECOMMENDS
Despite these shortcomings, the law represents a critical milestone in federal responsibility for public education.
Implementation of NCLB continues to raise issues that can lead to a quality public education for all children, and
provokes the public and policymakers to try to address those issues. In testimony and in the survey, we did hear
positive things about NCLB, primarily with respect to its goals. But for the law to succeed in reaching these goals,
some drastic adjustments to the law and its implementation are necessary. Here are some changes the public would
like to see, along with recommendations for how they might be achieved.
Community Resources – A Support & Prevention Strategy
The public says that schools need full community support and collaboration in order for students to be successful.
Schools cannot do their job alone. Yet many schools are completely isolated from “helping” institutions in their
communities. If we can reduce this isolation, we can expand supports for students and families, and expand
accountability for student success across the community. Closer connections among schools and community
agencies, such as those found in community schools, are critical. These helping institutions also need to increase
their capacity to address the needs of students and their families, who are, in many cases, the same constituents
these agencies were created to serve.
When a school is identified as needing improvement, there should be resources directed to that school and a
mandated set of strategies and interventions, not just punitive sanctions, to improve the school and to address
issues such as the lack of information, the lack of capacity, the lack of parent and community involvement, the
need for better academic and nonacademic supports, the inadequacies of the current SES system, and the virtual
abandonment of designated schools.
Coordination among agencies, perhaps through required interagency cooperative agreements starting at the federal
level, would bring health and social service agencies into alignment with student needs, with the school serving as a
community anchor to improve service provision to students and families. Community-based organizations, such as
local education funds, are uniquely positioned to broker and facilitate relationships among community agencies, and
engage the public to develop a strategic plan addressing the needs of students, families, schools, and the community.
This approach can be used as a prevention strategy as well as a remedy for low-performing schools. This is an
appropriate intervention not only for schools showing early signs of needing assistance, but for schools that are high
performers as well. Research shows that in community school settings, where schools and community agencies
and organizations work in partnership to remove barriers to learning and to mobilize community assets to support
student success, academic performance and other important measures improve. Community schools typically include
health, mental health, and social services; mentoring, a safe environment for tutoring and after-school enrichment
opportunities connected to the school day curriculum; service learning and parent and community involvement in
schools(5). To encourage adaptation of this strategy, financial incentives and technical assistance should be offered.
The community should help determine what services will be provided and ensure that ongoing evaluation of the
programs is conducted.
Accountability That Produces Student Outcomes
The public clearly wants to reduce the emphasis on a single test as the sole determining factor of adequate yearly
progress (AYP). Suggestions for alternatives include establishing a value-added assessment system that works in
tandem with the current NCLB reporting system and gives credit for significant progress, and allowing districts to
include a local academic progress measure, in addition to the NCLB required assessment systems, in determining
progress toward AYP. The public also wants greater attention paid to communicating the implications of NCLB’s
federal accountability system and, when there is a state accountability system in place that is independent of the
NCLB system, to interpreting and explaining the discrepancies between them. The public also urges that special
consideration be given to English language learners and special education students.
Improved Academic Supports for Students
To genuinely improve the educational opportunities for students under the law, parents want the option to select
supplemental education services before transferring their children to another public school. They want accurate and
timely information on SES in jargon-free English and in alternative home languages as needed. Increased monitoring
and an independent evaluation of SES providers are also needed to assure that services are of high quality, are tied
to the school curriculum and state standards, provide feedback to both parents and teachers, increase achievement,
and are delivered as advertised. Evaluation results should be widely publicized so that parents can make informed
decisions. SES staff should be “highly qualifed” and the eligibility of SES providers should be approved by both the
school district and the state education agency.
An Expanded Definition of “Highly Qualified” Teachers
Students and parents want the definition of “highly qualified” teachers to be broadened beyond existing state
requirements to include the criteria that students and parents described at the hearings. Pre-service and in-service
teacher education requirements should include course work on parent and community involvement, cultural
competency, and using data to improve instruction. Incentives – such as professional compensation, tax credits,
assistance with home purchases, and loan forgiveness – to attract and retain high-performing teachers in lowperforming
schools should be implemented.
Enforced Parent Involvement Provisions
Parents want NCLB’s existing parent involvement provisions to be implemented, speci.cally the “parents’ right
to know” provisions at state, district, and school levels such as parent compact, parent policies, and parental
noti.cations. Orientation and training is needed so that parents can participate in more meaningful ways, and training
for school and district officials is needed so they can more effectively engage parents. A complaint procedure
mechanism should be added for parents who contend that their school district is not complying with the law’s
requirements.
The Public Has a Key Role to Play
Members of the public very much appreciated the opportunity to speak out about NCLB, especially since their
opinions are not often sought. In considering amendments to the law, policymakers should solicit views from
students, parents, and community members in order to obtain a full picture of the true impact of the law beyond the
schoolhouse doors. The reauthorization process is an opportunity for the public to tell Congress what it wants in an
accountability system, not just give its views on NCLB. By making the reauthorization transparent and listening to the
voices of those most affected by accountability, Congress can go a long way toward ensuring that the goals of NCLB will
be met and that the public will support the process.
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5 |
Blank, M.J., Melaville, A., & Shah, B.P. (2003, May). Making the Difference: Research and Practice in Community Schools. Washington, DC: Coalition for Community Schools, Institute for Educational Leadership. Available at http://www.communityschools.org/mtdhomepage.html |
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