Gathering Place
By Sen. Daniel Akaka
‘No Child Left Behind’
fails to fulfill its promiseAs high school seniors bid farewell to teachers and schoolmates at graduation ceremonies across Hawaii, let us pause to contemplate whether they would have been better off if sweeping reform in K-12 education, known as No Child Left Behind, had been implemented 10 years ago, and wonder whether students graduating a decade from now will be better prepared or ill-served after living with the new law.
I voted for No Child Left Behind in 2001. The promises then were real: We would provide our public schools with additional resources while holding them accountable for narrowing the achievement gap.
It now appears that the most cynical assessment of the Bush administration's objective for this K-12 reform bill may be true: Its design is to paint our public schools as broken and garner support for their elimination. I see this in the Bush administration's refusal to adequately fund the very measures that it says must succeed. I also see this in the arbitrary requirements for our schools in the state accountability plan approved by the U.S. Department of Education.
One example is the 95 percent participation required for testing within each disaggregated group of students, such as special education and limited English-proficient students. As a former teacher and principal, I realize that schools will be lucky to see regular attendance levels that high. And while math and reading are important core subjects, I am concerned that a testing focus concentrated on these subjects will leave little time or resources for subjects like economics, personal finance, civics, art and music. Students deserve a well-rounded education -- an experience that challenges them to think and broadens their perspective -- and our communities depend on informed citizens.
I recently visited four Ewa public schools: Pohakea Elementary, Ilima Intermediate, Campbell High and Holomua Elementary. These schools fared disparately in the recent Honolulu Magazine ranking of schools, but let me say this: Rankings are informative, but they are not all-important and they do not get to the core of explaining how a school runs. On my visits, I did not find broken schools. Rather, I found children willing to learn, caring but overworked teachers, and top-flight administrators who want the best for their students.
We all want high standards in our schools. However, our efforts should not discourage those who are trying to achieve these standards. Congress needs to inject a dose of reality into No Child Left Behind. This will take a big effort. In the meantime, as the new law takes effect, we must make a community effort toward compliance. We must not give in to the temptation of blaming those who are trying hard to make it happen, especially at a time when parents are asking schools to take on more and more responsibilities in our children's lives.
As students and parents leave the public schools around Hawaii, thank the teachers. Thank those who are running your schools. We cannot overlook the fact that we continue to be in this together.
Daniel Akaka has represented Hawaii in the U.S. Senate since 1990.