NEA: Expanding NCLB to High Schools Is Premature

NEA called President Bush's proposed expansion of the so-called "No Child Left Behind" federal education law and its standardized testing requirements to high schools "premature" and said the plan is not what students need.

"We think that it's premature, because you have a number of school boards and state legislatures that already have problems with the implementation of the existing law," said NEA President Reg Weaver. "Testing only gives more bureaucracy and paperwork. What parents and teachers want for the kids is smaller class sizes, textbooks, and supplies."

The Bush administration is proposing to spend $1.5 billion for a new "High School Initiative"  that, among other things, would require high schools to test secondary school students yearly in reading and mathematics.

NEA believes that for America's high schools to continue meeting the changing needs of a changing student population, reform must be built on what teachers know works.

NEA, the nation's largest teachers union, will be working with local, state, and national leaders to implement these programs that work into high school reform efforts.

Need:

We must close the achievement gap in literacy and math.  Our top students do as well as those in other countries on international assessments, but the United States has one of the largest achievement gaps at the high school level of any country participating in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).

To Meet the Need:

Fund programs to improve literacy and math and close the achievement gap. Make certain that these programs have been adequately funded and implemented before adding additional accountability testing.

Need:

America's high school students need and deserve highly qualified teachers in every high school classroom.

To Meet The Need:

We need to devote more federal funds for teacher professional development, especially in the area of literacy related to subject areas. The president's proposal to provide literacy coaches in high schools as part of the Struggling Readers Initiative is a good initial step, but far more funding is needed.

Need:

America's high school students need coursework that is relevant to their future as students in community colleges, vocational and technical schools, colleges, universities or the workforce.

To Meet the Need:

• Federal funding should be focused on classroom resources, not bureaucracy and paperwork.
• Federal laws and funding that encourages high school students to get college credit, better linkages between high schools and community and 4-year colleges and vocational and technical curriculum that is relevant.

Need:  

Aggressive dropout prevention and re-entry efforts that help every single student achieve his or her potential in school, and in life.

To Meet the Need:

• Federal funding should be focused on dropout prevention programs that work and meet the individual needs of a diverse student population.
• Accountability systems should include dropout rates as a measure of school success, so schools can better meet the needs of every student and a high school diploma carries meaning for those who earn it. 
• Schools and school districts should include re-entry plans that focus on the individual needs of students so they have the tools and resources necessary for success.

Need:  

Smaller schools and learning communities for high school students, so they don't slip through the cracks.

To Meet the Need:

• Federal funds should be focused on programs like Smaller Learning Communities, so students get more individualized attention.
• Federal funds for support services and personnel, such as career counselors, should be focused on high schools.

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