Teacher Leaders Network - NCLB - (Page 2)

the last several years, 20 states and a number of school districts have challenged the law, arguing that it includes underfunded and overly prescriptive mandates and deleterious side effects, including a narrowing of the academic curriculum. Education leaders have also pointed to the formulaic identification of some schools as “failing” when they are in reality making considerable progress in closing the achievement gap. Many educators also are raising questions about the law’s primary focus on content knowledge as the marker of a “highly qualified” teacher. In a recent Education Week commentary, education scholar Linda Darling-Hammond suggested that “views about the No Child Left Behind Act are currently as divided as Berlin before the wall came down.”i The debates over the role of standardized testing, the best ways to judge schools, and what counts for qualified and effective teachers remain raucous. In the nation’s capital, members of Congress hear discordant voices from researchers, inside-theBeltway policy analysts, school administrators, Department of Education officials, and union leaders about the impact of NCLB and its future implications. And the debate is heating up as new data surfaces indicating some states may actually be “gaming” NCLB by setting and achieving lower performance expectations. In addition, states with demonstrated high proficiency rates are not necessarily raising student achievement levels on other widely followed measures, such as the National Assessment of Educational Progress.ii And while 500,000 students are expected to receive private tutoring under NCLB provisions this coming school year, the quality varies widely and the “proof of impact is sparse.”iii What’s more, almost all states have now identified most of their teachers as “highly qualified” — but with no discernable effect. The law’s apparent failure to identify “highly qualified” teachers has prompted some policymakers to turn to students’ standardized test scores as their primary way to make judgments about teacher competence.iv Whatever one thinks about the five-year-old federal law, it’s clear that developing more skillful teaching is essential for attaining higher and more equitable achievement for students in the United States. While many teachers possess the sophisticated skills for teaching challenging content to diverse learners, many others have not advanced sufficiently to help children from all racial and ethnic, language, and socioeconomic backgrounds reach the high academic standards envisioned by the law. On the eve of NCLB’s reauthorization, it seems not only appropriate but also imperative that we ask accomplished and successful teachers how the law can be refined to assure that all teachers have the skills, knowledge, and support they need to realize our national vision for better schools. The Teacher Leaders Network Launched in March 2003, the Teacher Leaders Network (TLN) has emerged as one of teaching’s most innovative virtual communities. It is comprised of a still-expanding group of nearly 300 highly accomplished educators from more than 30 states dedicated to cultivating teacher leadership, promoting 21st Century teaching and learning tools, and advocating for policies and programs that can close the nation's achievement gap. The National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs), Milken Award winners, state and national Teachers of the Year, and other outstanding teachers who comprise TLN spread their expertise; mentor teaching novices, including those in IBM’s Transition to Teaching program; conduct action research; author articles and essays for national publications; and study policy issues affecting their profession and the students they serve. The tangible impact of TLN’s teacher leaders on some of education’s most hotly contested issues can be seen in the TeacherSolutions initiative. CTQ launched the first TeacherSolutions project in early 2006, when 18 of the nation's best teachers focused their attention on professional compensation as a means of improving student learning and used virtual technology to share insights and facilitate dialogue with experts from across the nation. The result of this year-long initiative is the team's widely discussed report, Performance-Pay for Teachers: Designing a System that Students Deserve. Page 2

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Teacher Leaders Network - NCLB

Executive Summary The Future of American Education in the Making It is Time to Align NCLB Intentions and Consequences The Teacher Leaders Network Encounters NCLB from the Classroom NCLB Demands Results and So Do We Attention Alone Does Not Equal Effective Accountability Standardized Tests Fall Short of 21st Century Demands For What Future Is NCLB Preparing Students? As Testing Expands, the Curriculum Shrinks The Drive for Data Presents Potential for Significant Change Data Systems Don’t Keep Pace with Real-Time Instructional Needs AYP Highlights the Good, Bad, and Ugly of NCLB Does “Highly Qualified” Set the Teaching Bar Too Low? Teaching Quality Must Be More Than a Number Every Student Deserves a Highly Effective, Well-Trained Teacher Conclusions References

Teacher Leaders Network - NCLB

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