The Every Child Achieves Act and why I support it
I will be asking my Senators to support The Every Child Achieves Act or ECAA. If it is passed, NCLB will be gone. And so will Race to the Top.
ECAA is a bi-partisan bill that is being debated in the Senate this week. It is far from perfect. It requires annual testing in Grades 3-8. And it would give far too much federal money to charters. However, it does some things that are very important.
It forbids the Federal Government from:
–requiring or promoting teacher evaluation systems.
–setting, mandating or encouraging standards such as the Common Core.
–imposing school improvement strategies.
–taking federal money from states that allow parents to opt their kids out from testing.
In short, ECAA would require Mr. Duncan to stop imposing his reform strategies on the states and our schools. And that allows all of us to have more influence at the state and local level to help set a better course. No State Education Department can hide behind federal mandates to justify the Common Core or evaluating teachers by test scores.
NCLB did not work for kids. RTTT has been a nightmare. And just think what might happen if Jeb Bush picks the new Secretary of Education.
The federal government is not a national school board, and Mr. Duncan is not a national superintendent. Yes, the bill could be better (much better) but this is an important first step.
I will be contacting my Senators and asking them to support ECAA. And if anything in that bill changes for the worse, you can be sure that I will let you (and them) know.
Round the Inkwell 
13 Responses to “The Every Child Achieves Act and why I support it”
There are as many or more arguments against ECAA. Substituting one with its own flaws for another with flaws isn’t progress.
The unintended (but fully intended) consequence of the act is the Balkanization of the citizenry state by state. The exact same policies that have been ended at the federal level can then be pushed at the state level in a manner that prevents one states citizens from effectively helping another states citizens. The idea is to put domino theory in place, a fall back position to be sure, but just as effective in maintaining the toxic “reformer” nonsense we have been winning the fight against. The deformers have made their federal puppets give ground so they can declare defeat, hope we go away, and continue with business, bribery and corruption as usual. There is nothing good and nothing to celebrate about this whatsoever. The victories you cite are a ruse.
I am ambivalent. I see your points, but the enshrined testing and privatizing money make me gag!
But do you want to push the end of NCLB, or wait for the perfect bill which will never come. Wars are won by fighting battles.
(from Virginia mom) This is not the end of NCLB. It’s a perpetuation of the policies of NCLB. The “spin” that proponents have put on this bill is nothing short of ridiculous. I cannot believe anyone with any knowledge of what’s in these bills buys their “spin”.
[…] Burris, who recently retired as principal of South Side High School in Rockville Center, Néw York, here explains why she supports the Every Child Achieves […]
Sen. Reed of RI just made an important point on the floor. NCLB sought to measure students with tests, to supposedly provide low-performers with support to help them improve. But the support never came. They say this bill starts to address that.
But it’s also hard to agree to anything that continues annual tests because they enrich private vendors without showing anything we don’t already know. It’s sad that all these parents, teachers, and administrators are not being heard after all this time and that politicians still believe we need these tests in order to figure out who is having a hard time.
(from a Virginia Mom, admin is the user name on my wordpress account). Are you aware that the administration is as we speak preparing amendments to the bill to RETURN more control to the federal government, to INCREASE acceptability, and to collect MORE data from student groups? How in the world can you say you support this bill when a bill is not static, and will be changed before it is passed? You talk about this bill as if you are endorsing something written in stone. Legislation doesn’t work that way. You can say what you endorse in a final bill, but to say you support this legislation when it’s about to change is writing a blank check.
Look, I share your fear. But right now, in its present form, I think it is better than the status quo. If it changes, I will not support it.
The bill is changing. I thought I was watching closely, but then I saw this morning I missed this. Unanimously approved in a voice vote:
Senate Passes Bill Letting Schools Give Education Money To Financial Consulting Firms
http://www.ibtimes.com/senate-passes-bill-letting-schools-give-education-money-financial-consulting-firms-2000761
accountability, not acceptability.
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[…] not in favor of the legislation as currently presented in the Senate. Carol Burris, the award-winning and now sadly retired principal of South Side High School in New York, on her […]