Does NCLB actually help real-life teachers with real-life problems? Here are three great posts from some Blog archives.
1. Quasi Dictum flunks a kid who exerted zero effort all year. Parents threaten lawsuit. In theory, NCLB stiffens spines of pathetic principals tempted to socially promote their students. Reality at suburban schools is that few face any risk of sanctions – except for their minority acheivement gaps. Result: with no backing from the principal, QD caves in and passes the kid.
2. Hipteacher happens across a student blog (not school project, just kid’s personal blog) where he threatens to gun down some enemies. Probably joking, but still. Should she turn him in? In theory, NCLB measures student safety. Reality is that the measurements are so hopelessly wrong that this provision does nothing. It should be that a school is somehow credited for identifying a threat, right?
3. In theory, NCLB should help reduce ridiculous math curriculum and replace with commonsense rigorous curriculum combined with lots of hard work. GGW thinks that’s happening more than if there were no NCLB, but luckily Instructivist is there to capture all of the exceptions and keep our eye on the “work hard” ball.
– Guest blogger MG