Waiver-ing on NCLB

I have to admit, I was not yet a teacher nor even a high school graduate when the Elementary and Secondary Education Act was amended and reauthorized as the No Child Left Behind Act in 2002.  I was, however, an attentive student with the goal of becoming a high school teacher.  I was blessed to have a passionate educator when ESEA was revamped with the goals of school improvement in mind.  She spent time discussing the implications of this new law with our English class.  Not all of my peers had an interest in this but I knew that perhaps this would someday impact me as a teacher.  I am thankful that she was willing to be open with us about issues that would impact our learning environment.  In this same way, I talk openly with my students about that which we must learn to be productive contributors in the 21st Century.

Now that I am within inches of finishing graduate work in education administration and have a good foundation of teaching experience, I am beginning to understand just how the re-authorization of the NCLB Act will set the tone for the next era of education in our country.

But summer came and went and while our elected officials spent an inordinate amount of time arguing along partisan lines, the opportunity to do some overhaul on NCLB's misguided and unrealistic mandate was ultimately ignored.  Now the opportunity exists for schools to apply for waivers if schools are unable to meet the proficiency threshold.  Jason Glass, the State of Iowa's Director of Education, is seeking to apply for these waivers.  In a report that identifies over 400 Iowa public schools as "In Need of Assistance" it is a critical juncture for educators, parents, communities, and the elected leaders to carefully consider what to do to provide the optimal learning environment for students and commit the necessary supports for getting our schools to be at their best.

Penalization of low performing schools based solely on test scores seemed foolish even to my high school mind back in 2002.   Fear of being on the "watch list" was evident in schools and the policies seemed more focused on sanctions rather than support.  The opportunity to overhaul failed education policies is presenting itself and the people we trust to make decisions in the best interest of all are not doing their homework.  It will be interesting to see how many states align with the others who have already requested waivers.

I don't know that the waivers will solve any problems.  Are we simply going to ignore the schools that need more resources because we can waiver out of having to make significant gains? Are we going to measure student progress in new ways with a wide variety of assessments to show that students are making critical growth?  I want to see kids and schools succeed.  However, the attacks upon teachers and schools seems to me a sign that many do not respect the hard work that educators and students put in to each day's work.  It is a vast and daunting future that awaits all educators and policy makers.  For the work to be fruitful, there need to be many partnerships formed; between those who create policy and those who must meet the provisions in the policy, between schools and communities, between parents and educators, and between all levels of educators.  This might not be the final answer, but working together to propel our schools in to the future rather than for the past is essential in bringing our society in to a better place.  On that, I cannot waver.