Southern Bread

2006
06.28

No Child Left Ahead

Category: Education, Politics / Tag: homeschool, public education /

National Review has a good article today on the effects of the No Child Left Behind laws on public schools. NCLB mandates achievement standards in Math and Reading only. This has had the effect of narrowing the curriculum in most public school systems as they focus entirely on trying to meet the standards in those two subjects. This quote really caught my eye though:

…Hirsch identifies an obvious solution to the challenge schools face: Teach reading through history, science, literature, and the arts. He argues persuasively that most of the students who have been “left behind” have successfully learned to decode words and sentences, but can’t comprehend much because of their limited vocabulary and knowledge base. Especially in the upper elementary grades and middle school—where we see student achievement plateau and then begin its long, precipitous decline—the best way to teach reading is to teach content. Instead of “doubling up” on rote, mechanical reading instruction, schools can engage students with compelling historical accounts, fanciful stories, fascinating science, and riveting poetry.

…Still enamored with romantic beliefs that children can learn to read as naturally as they learn to talk, and disregarding knowledge and content as nothing but “mere facts,” the leaders of the education establishment and their comrades in schools of education continue to indoctrinate teachers and principals in self-defeating ideas. The solution to schools’ reading woes and their curricular conundrum is right in front of them, but these misguided ideas get in the way.

–National Review

Private classical schools and homeschool curriculums have been doing this exact thing for years. For example, one of the curriculums we are considering for our kids is the Veritas system. It uses classic art, history, classic literature and bible content to teach reading using a phonics method. The kids learn to read as they learn about all of those other subjects. That is their kindergarten material too. Until the politicians stop using the public education system as a tool of political power I guess we won’t see anything like that in state curriculum.

This is yet another reason to support vouchers for those who can’t homeschool or private school their kids. Many kids, especially in urban areas where NCLB is most targeted, are stuck in a particular school that is totally inadequate or flat out unsafe. These kids would benefit tremendously from a voucher program. I think it’s pretty obvious that NCLB was a last ditch attempt by Ted Kennedy and his fat pocketed NEA friends to stop the bleeding in the public school system before having to resort to vouchers, which would totally shake the system to it’s core.