Great Public Schools for Every Child

NEA President Reg Weaver

As public school teachers and education support professionals, we dedicate ourselves to the care and educating of America's students. But despite your best efforts, you and many of your colleagues feel you are being set up to fail.

I hear you loud and clear. In recent months, I have talked with hundreds of NEA members in schools across the country. Almost everywhere, I hear anxiety and, yes, anger about the new federal education law. It has a catchy and misleading name--the "No Child Left Behind Act"--but it is deeply flawed. This law will leave behind millions of children, while labeling many of our best public schools and most dedicated educators "failures."

NEA has long supported the broad objectives of this legislation--to close the achievement gap, to guarantee a "highly qualified" teacher in every classroom--and we certainly strive to ensure that no child is left behind.

But there are serious problems with this law that go beyond the obvious lack of funding. The law sets unrealistic goals, and then directs us to meet these goals--or else. It is obsessed with tests, punishments, and labels.

We will not stand by while teachers, education support professionals, and America's children are hurt by the rhetoric of reform. Your Association is mobilizing at every level to make implementation of this law more reasonable, and to change provisions in the law that are clearly harmful.

We have met with Secretary of Education Rod Paige and others--hopefully our conversations will continue. I--along with our seasoned team of NEA lobbyists--will continue to meet with members of Congress to ensure that they are knowledgeable about the true impact of the law. We want to garner their support as we move to introduce, and hopefully pass, specific amendments to the law.

But I don't want you to be under any illusions. In Washington, many fiercely resist any changes. A top-down effort from NEA headquarters will not overcome this opposition. To succeed, we need a vast, grassroots effort involving millions of public educators and parents. A groundswell will not do--we need to create an earthquake! We need to channel our frustration into decisive political action.

And let us be clear about the changes we seek in the law. NEA members have identified the following top priorities:

We seek a moratorium on any testing, accountability, or educator-quality requirements that are not fully funded.

We want to require states and school districts to fully fund the costs of necessary training for paraprofessionals.

The law promises a "highly qualified teacher" in every classroom by 2006. We want our policy makers to acknowledge that we are the best persons to set the criteria for a "highly qualified teacher."

We want states to have flexibility in defining "adequate yearly progress" and in applying sanctions to schools deemed "in need of improvement."

In the months ahead, we need to keep up a relentless, tireless, full-court press to achieve these changes. I urge you to never, ever underestimate your power as an individual educator, and our power as a united Association. We are 2.7 million strong, but numbers alone, will not carry the day. We must be organized, mobilized, and energized at every level of our Association.

I call on each and every NEA member--I call on you--to become an active member. We are skilled educators and advocates. Let's use that skill to educate and activate our colleagues, families, friends, and elected officials. Let's demonstrate how an amended law can make "Great Public Schools for Every Child." I know I can count on you!

Comments? E-mail Reg Weaver at RegWeaver@nea.org.