For More Information:
NEA Communications: 202 822-7200

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 31, 2001

News Release

"The Issue is Not -- To Test or Not To Test"

Condition of Education Report Shows Need for Investments

Washington, D.C. - "To test or not to test? That is NOT the question," declared NEA President Bob Chase responding to the release of the Dept. of Education's Condition of Education report released today. "Students are subject to an array of standardized and teacher developed tests each year. The key question is -- 'How can standards and tests help students achieve, rather than hurt them?'"

In its "Testing Plus" (www.nea.org/testingplus) -- NEA calls for smarter testing that also provides students and schools the tools they need to succeed. "Reform without resources simply won't produce results," said Chase. "Unfortunately the prevailing mindset among too many elected officials is something right out of the movie "Field of Dreams": "If we just set high standards, students will magically achieve." This is delusional."

Chase said setting high standards and implementing a regime of testing and consequences is easy. "The hard part - the part that we have seriously neglected -- is giving every child the good schools and quality teachers and individual assistance he or she needs to have a fighting chance to succeed. The tax cut for next year gobbles up 50 times more than what Congress and the President would provide the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. This is unconscionable. Where are efforts to reduce class size and to repair and modernize schools?"

"As educators we believe that unless we give students and teachers the tools to succeed -- it is thoroughly, morally wrong to hold children to high standards and threaten them with failure," said Chase. "This is the message Sen. Jeffords delivered in making his courageous declaration of independence from party affiliation. We hope it is a message that will be heard and heeded on Capitol Hill."

"For the first time in our history, we have set a truly challenging objective: successfully educating all children - rich and poor, smart and slow - to the same high standards. As a teacher, I embrace this revolution. It is a revolution that must be matched with adequate resources and investments to make a difference in the lives of every child," said Chase. For example, no money has been allocated for school repair and modernization, even though as the superintendent of Houston public schools, Sec. Paige supported a stronger federal role for school repair funding.

# # #
The National Education Association is the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing 2.7 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support personnel, school administrators, retired educators, and students preparing to become teachers.