"Many children in the city of Buffalo come from economically deprived families . Their experiences are often limited. It is very difficult to help these students reach benchmarks without adequate funding.

"In New York state, we are certified N-6 for elementary. As a pre-Kindergarten Teacher, I strive to help my little ones receive the missing background that they need to be on par with students in wealthier districts. It is difficult to teach beginning reading to three-year-old children who don't even know their names.

"Buffalo Public Schools have begun a policy of retaining pre-K and kindergarten children until they reach mastery. But, without funding, NCLB is just putting these young ones behind, right off the bat. There needs to be a better way to reach these children instead of retaining them and telling them they are failures at four and five years old."

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