Today, [my principal told me] that I can only teach reading and math during the school day in my sixth grade class. Everyone is so scared to not make AYP, that this is the response that we are getting….I'm not allowed to teach science, social studies, and writing, [or] address the poverty students' needs or those who are neglected in some form or another. Can I incorporate some of this into my reading and math? Yes, I can do that because I'm a great teacher who cares about a well-rounded student. But it won't be enough. What do I tell my coworkers in middle school who teach these other subjects? There are major flaws in NCLB and they need [to be] fixed now…. Please help! – NEA Cyber-lobbyist, Wisconsin
The reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) is now several years overdue, which means the flaws of NCLB, like those illustrated above, still apply to our public schools. NEA is urging Congress to craft a reauthorization bill that addresses these flaws. And, at the same time, NEA is urging the Department of Education to provide immediate regulatory relief from the negative consequences of NCLB.
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan can use regulations to:
- Help champion student success, including by revising testing rules to allow all students to show what they really know and can do, including students with disabilities and English Language Learners;
- Elevate the education profession by addressing the needs of rural and small schools and teachers who teach multiple subjects and by ensuring that collective bargaining is respected in critical decisions;
- Fight for social justice, including by helping struggling schools get what they need to improve and providing more flexibility for districts to choose intervention models and strategies that work.
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