Hollister - A local teachers union leader is trying to rally a letter-writing campaign to make federal lawmakers aware of problems with the No Child Left Behind Act.
Jan Grist, president of the Hollister Elementary School Teachers Association, is asking teachers, administrators and board members in the Hollister School District to write testimonials showing how the law has negatively affected San Benito County's schools.
"The last thing we want to do is see NCLB go away," Grist said. "But what we do want to see is some changes in the way NCLB is handled."
Grist and others say the education reform law is flawed by its focus on standardized testing and unrealistic test goals, its strict sanctions, and its lack of financial support.
No Child Left Behind was created with the intention of creating more accountability in the nation's schools. It was signed into law in 2002 and is set for reauthorization by Congress this year.
Grist said her goal in writing to California's congressional representatives is to increase an understanding of how the law affects all schools.
"I asked that we all put down written testimonials so that the legislature really understands what we're going through. We were told that they really don't get it yet, and we did this so they can get a better picture of (No Child Left Behind)," Grist said.
Michal Query, who is in her 10th year teaching kindergarten at Ladd Lane Elementary, said she feels pressure because of the testing requirements. No Child Left Behind has mandated that all students should be testing at grade level in both mathematics and English by 2014.
"I'm constantly thinking about my kindergartners as second-graders. What are they going to be able to do? What are they not going to be able to do? Our kindergartners are doing what an end-of-the-year first-grader used to be responsible for," Query said.
But others say holding to strong standards is an important way to encourage educational growth.
Alice Flores, the president of the district's school board, said she does not think the law is perfect, but hopes people will write to the federal representatives talking about the positive as well as the negative aspects of No Child Left Behind.
"I think the main philosophy that all children deserve an equal opportunity to be successful, and expecting children to improve academically each year is good, because what's the opposite of that?" Flores said. "Having standards and holding people accountable to those standards - especially learning standards - I think those are very important things. I think everybody should be looking at moving students forward."
Accelerating student achievement is a goal that is echoed by the district's superintendent as well. But Superintendent Ron Crates tempered this by saying that he does not like that the education reform act only focuses on achieving an end goal, not on improvement.
While many people within the district disagree on the strengths and weaknesses of the legislation, most agree that extra money would make its goals much more plausible.
HSD school board member Margie Barrios said she thinks the biggest flaw in the law is the lack of funding it receives.
"My feeling on No Child Left Behind is that it's underfunded. They have given us a lot of mandated things we need to do at the school district without the money to back it up," Barrios said. "Our teachers have been overburdened with things they need to do to meet the criteria."
Alice Joy covers education for the Free Lance. She can be reached at (831) 637-5566 ext. 336 or at ajoy@freelancenews.com.
Alice Joy Alice Joy covers education for the Free Lance. She can be reached at ajoy@freelancenews.com or 831-637-5566 ext. 336.
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