Monday, July 30, 2007

Rep.George Miller on NCLB

Miller is the Chair of the House Education and Labor committee where a re-authorization of NCLB will come from.
Here is his prepared speech today. It is a sad day for public education.

http://www.house.gov/apps/list/speech/edlabor_dem/RelJul30NCLBSpeech.html

The speech does not give me confidence that he yet understands the issues. It is noteworthy that each of the Democratic Party presidential candidates gets it that the bill need substantive changing- or scrapping.
I do not know what is the problem with Miller. Has he been captured by Ed Trust and the other semi civil rights organizations so that he uses their frame to consider the bill?
It is clear that he is not listening to people who teach and work in real schools.
Or, perhaps he does get it and this speech is just using buzz words like accountability to keep together the coalition of the past. The NCLB passed last time almost unanimously. And, it has failed. It has particularly failed poor and minority kids and their schools.
There are numerous prior posts on this failure.
Any ideas on how to get the Congressman to listen to the people who work in the schools? I have asked two local Democratic Congresspeople to contact Miller. I received back vague, slogan filled, form letters.

there are many ideas at www.fairtest.org

It is most unfortunate that the Democratic chair is not listening. It appears we will have to move beyond letter writing and testimony.

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