|
| |
| NCLB
vs. the NEA: The Line in the Sand |
 September 17, 2004
- There are many unwarranted misconceptions
floating around about the bipartisan "No Child Left Behind" Act. Many of
these non truths started by left-wing political groups including the
National Education Association (NEA) and MoveOn.org, who have an interest in
lowered educational standards and spending without accountability, are given
"legitimacy” courtesy of the beneficiaries of their political contributions,
the Democratic Party.
The grossest propaganda associated with NCLB is that it created a federal
mandate for what is expected of local schools. The reality is that NCLB
exacts a promise from every school district in receipt of federal funding,
their assurance that every child will get a good education. NCLB asks that
all children read and do math at grade level. NCLB requires that federal
funds support educational activities that are backed by scientifically based
research. Yet it is the states that set the achievement levels and define
which schools make the grade.
The idea that NCLB is an unfunded mandate is a lot of semantic spin. Federal
education statutes often cap how much future Congresses can spend. Actual
appropriations rarely match "authorization caps". The spin begins when the
public is told that because authorization caps aren’t being met, that NCLB
is an "unfunded mandate". There is no such thing as an "unfunded mandate”,
yet President Bush’s administration has faced this accusation for requesting
less money for NCLB than Congress is technically authorized to spend.
The above facts aren’t reported in the mainstream media nor are they
understood by many of the teachers who are forced to pay dues in support of
the NEA. Ironically, the budget offered by the House Democratic leadership
and endorsed by left-leaning education establishment lobbyists for Title 1,
the largest federal K-12 program to improve the academic
achievement in
impoverished schools, doesn’t meet the 20.5 billion cap either. It offers
15.4 billion for FY 2005 ($5.1 billion less) and doesn’t provide funding
increases for special education, Pell Grants, reading, or teachers. This
piece of information could be spun to implicate the Democrats in cutting
NCLB by $5 billion, but it’s not.
The proof of the hypocrisy surrounding NCLB is that former President
Clinton’s budget requests, for dramatically less money than the Bush
administration authorized, were never criticized as shortchanging education.
This coupled with that fact that teachers are solicited by their union to
vote for Democratic candidates in upcoming elections is "proof in the tax
payer funded, free lunch pudding” that partisan politics is guiding the
criticism of NCLB. The NEA always endorses a Democratic candidate for
President and they are backing John Kerry in 2004.
Under the current administration, through Title 1, over $13 billion is
provided to states and local school districts. 1.1 billion is earmarked for
Reading First, a high quality reading instruction program for grades K-3
which is based on scientific research. $2.9 billion is designated for
teacher development in the form of grants. There is money to assist in
English language acquisition, math and science education, after school
learning programs, establishing charter schools, and more. The Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the second largest federal K-12
program, provides over $11 billion to assist states and local schools in
educating children with disabilities. Some schools are not interested in
available money because they don’t want to be held accountable for meeting
the federal expectations.
Studies provide strong evidence for the success of the educational reforms
undertaken by the current administration. There has been demonstrated a
higher level of academic achievement, relative to student disadvantages, in
districts with stronger accountability plans and which offer school choice.
This proves that factors such as funding and student backgrounds do not have
to dictate academic success or failure.
Just as the commitment of our country to waging the war on terrorism is
undermined by the likes of Teddy Kennedy or John Kerry every time their
political rhetoric is interpreted to mean our country is waffling from
defending our way of life from those who would put our citizens in harms
way, the education of our children is undermined when NCLB, passed with
bipartisan support is mischaracterized as unfunded and taking away local
control of the schools. Schools lost their local control a long time ago
when the unions took over. NCLB threatens the union cash cow. And the
Democrats need the unions to keep the money coming in. And so it goes.
|
|
