NCLB turns poor kids into 'cannon fodder'

No Child Left Behind is full of surprises.  And unintended consequences. 

Yesterday I wrote that the legislation which vowed to "leave no child behind" actually encourages the opposite.  In the frenzy to raise test scores, some schoolkids --the "hopeless" cases-- are intentionally tossed on the educational scrap heap. 

Then there's this from today's Oregonian:  Poor students are much less likely to opt out of NCLB'S provision requiring that high schools provide access to military recruiters. 

That's no more surprising than the recent finding that poor students were much less likely to transfer out of their neighborhood schools.  The kinds of parents that shop around for the "best" schools --meaning the richer and better educated parents-- are probably not eager to have their kids shipped off to Iraq or Afghanistan.

That's why parents of students of the K-8 magnet Winterhaven (where like about 40% of the kids are Talented and Gifted) rose en masse to protest sending their kids off to the week-long Department of Defense Starbase gig at the Portland  Air Base.

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Speaking of Winterhaven and school inequities, the school choice lapdogs at Community and Parents for Public Schools just published some feedback from parents on the tension between magnets/focus options and neighborhood schools.  Here's one from a Winterhaven parent:

"I live in Rose City and I make the drive across town every day to Winterhaven School - a focus option school for math and science and, while I hate the drive and live only 3 blocks from Rose City Park Elementary, I am so glad my kids are receiving what I call 'a private education at a public school'……. Parents are involved and concerned about the school and they volunteer for various activities throughout the year so the same people don't end up doing all the work all the time. We even have a school wide square dance coming up in a couple weeks which I am looking forward to. Why can't all schools be run with the same model?"

Yeah.  Why can't all schools have "school-wide square dances?"

Comments

[JustaDog]

The kinds of parents that shop around for the "best" schools --meaning the richer and better educated parents

That's why parent choices like charter schools and school vouchers are very important.

Yet those are the very choices that Democrats fight against (while sending their kids to private school). Democrats believe in "We The Government" and not "We The People".

[Doc]

I shopped around for the school that best met the needs of my children...Rieke is my neighborhood school, pretty good by most accounts...but I opted for a focus program because it met my kids' needs on many more levels...

Perhaps I'm better educated...I don't know about richer...and a Democrat to boot! You're may be right about the Dem opposition to charter and voucher programs...you're absolutely wrong in your Govt vs. People comment...nice polarizing comment tho, almost made me want to say generalized negative things about Republicans...caught myself though, it was probably my liberal upbringing.

Doc

[howard]

Terry:

Does "cannon fodder" apply to all current, past and future members of the armed forces?

Doc:

Are you saying you would be "shopping around" for suitable private schools if the public schools did not provide a sufficient choice of magnet and special-focus schools?

[Doc]

We were in PPS...they made little effort to accomodate educational needs of my oldest child...in fact, it was an almost contentious interaction...so we moved to a private school...

Then, I looked at a focus program k-8 in which the teacher stays with the student for sections...k12...345...678...and were passionate about the goals of the program...sympathetic to the needs of the student...and wanted parent involvement...very different than my experience at Rieke or the private school.

So, yes...if PPS did not meet the needs of our family...I would willingly "look" at other possibilities.

Doc

[howard]

Thank you for responding Doc. Your experience confirms the view that a good learning environment depends mostly upon the school building, its staff, the resources they have to work with and a high level of parental or community involvement.

[Steve B.]

One of the best things about Winterhaven is the size. While Superintendent Phillips is requiring all K-5 schools to be at an enrollment of 400-600 students, Winterhaven, a K-8 school with three additional grade levels, thrives with only 350 students. A private education at a public school indeed. Most Winterhaven parents I know are not so willing to admit that that is what's going on.

[Ada34Little]

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