Deck, you make it sound like the educational system was perfectly fine in this country before NCLB cae along and ****ed it up. i don't think that's accurate- whether NCLB was the right solution to the existing problem is perhaps debatable, but there was, and still is, a problem with both how we teach and what we teach, or at least with what students graduate knowing. there ought to be a minimum set of knowledge required to matriculate from a given grade to the next. my own bugabear is geography- we graduate kids from highschool every year who can't find iraq on a map. how can you possibly understand anything about the war, much less have an informed opinion about it, if you don't know where it is? and the problem isn't low test scores due to special needs kids. i have a limited amount of experience here- my son is autistic and we're just now looking for a kindergarten program for him- and thus far there are very few public "integrated" or "inclusive" programs, at least in the city, and where there are, there is a special needs co-teacher for those kids. in any case, schools have always taught to the mean level in the class, whether they're teaching to the test or not, it's the reality of dealing with 20-25 kids in one class. good schools will recognize that children learn at different rates, and adjust accordingly. there should still be a minimum level, and that's what NCLB was designed to achieve- set the minimum bar.
I watched the first 30 minutes and then turned it, because it was just more political B.S. from Mr. Bush......I have a question that maybe someone can answer.....Does anyone happen to know any of the 500 + programs that he plans to cut back on to give tax payers a "break"....I always find it funny how someone can say something and not fully be able to back it up in detail. And what is with the disbelief that "no child left behind" is working????!???........It's a horrible program that gives students more standardized testing, moves the "good" students out of the poorer less "achieving" school districts, and doesn't get funded properly..........We got war, gas prices, etc......This guy is definitely one of the worst presidents the United States has ever had.....
You are reading something into my post that wasn't there, basso. Compared to the schools I went to as a baby boomer in the '50's and early '60's, the public schools my kids have gone to are far superior. A large part of the reason for that is the neighborhood, one of the reasons we live around all these damned Republicans. Now that they are both in magnet schools, that creates its own dynamic. However, you note something that is a real problem, especially for a geography lover like me. Kids are coming out of school and going to college who haven't a clue as to where most of the countries of the world are, much less what they are like, and that is partly due to teachers having to teach for this damned test. Time that could be spent on studying geography (or history, another love of mine getting short shrift) goes instead to (drum role) teaching for this damned test. You say NCLB is designed to produce a minimum level of education. I'm saying it produces a minimum level of education. On another note, I hope you and your lady are able to get what your child needs. We've been very lucky, and you can bet we know it. One of the nice things about Austin, compared to Houston and certainly New York, is that the city and school district are small enough (not as small as it once was) that you can talk to people and get answers to questions and get things done. The bureaucracy is not so large that it prevents that. Sincere good luck in putting your son in an environment where he can flourish. Impeach Bush.
[daddybrag]My oldest was one of two finalists from her grade for the school-wide Geography Bee. She had to compete with kids 1 and 2 years older, but she has vowed to take the title by 6th grade. We got her one of those talking globes for Christmas and she's always playing with it. My youngest also got a talking globe, though it is a Dora Globe with just the continents, but hey, what do you want form a Kindergartener? She already thinks we should live in China because it sounds cool.[/daddybrag]
one of the things that has astounded me as we've gone through this process is the over all quality of the services he's received. yes, the system is daunting, and as is typical in any large bureaucracy, personalities and fiefdoms come into play, but once approved, the quality of therapists has been fantastic. and, at least through pre-k, the city pays for it. of course, we still pay for regular pre-school, to the tune of $xx,xxx/ year, but his services are covered. that may change as we move forward. but i'm struck by two demographic trends- the sheer numbers of kids that need services (perhaps related to an overall increase int he number of kids- 40% increase in manhattan alone in the past 5 years), and how many of them are boys, perhaps 80%. there's a generation of little boys who will need long term help.
Cool. I have my latest sig quote. I do my best. Well my first choice is Alan Keyes, but he makes too much sense to be nominated, so among those left I am hoping that Huckabee gets the nomination. .
The kind of man that would disown his daughter for being homosexual is the kind of moral, upstanding man we need in the White House
I don't understand why the problem crops up in boys far more than girls. Does anyone know? I'm glad you've been able to get excellent services and don't envy how much you'll have to shell out in the future. Autism is something I keep thinking we should be able to cure and prevent in the future. Hopefully the near future. Again, good luck with your son. Trim Bush.
Cartoonists can't get by with simply lampooning his policies, his appearance has to come into it too. That is why he always looks like a monkey or a bat in cartoons.
