No Child Left Behind

I frequently receive emails on stuff like this even though I'm not in education (anymore). I thought this one put the No Child Left Behind Act into proper perspective, a perspective that is obvious to all the rest of us, not in education.

I do know that in Idaho, the Idaho Statesman Review I believe, reported a couple of years ago that 14,000 students were unaccounted for in Idaho. It's because many school districts interview students on their way out the doors as they drop out.

"Are you going to take the GED instead of going to school?" they ask as the student leaves the school.

"uh, yeah that sounds good," the students answer. And then they disappear, no longer classified as a drop-out, because many school districts classify them as GED-student-thingys and then they don't carry them on their rolls even though they live in their district. I believe the law in Idaho supports the notion that they should be carried on a school districts rolls until they reach age, attain the GED, or enter school again.

Until the Idaho State Education Officials decide to change the way things are done, however, those drop-outs are neglected, forgotten and left behind.

So here we go with the best description I've ever seen of how the No Child Left Behind Act really works; it's put so we can all understand.

Hut, hut, hut, hike, hike, I said HIKE!

(this is from a forwarded email, not my words)

For those of you who are teachers or former teachers, I've heard that the No Child Left Behind Act has made good teaching very difficult, because of the restrictions that the program puts on teachers. I thought you might
find this interesting.

Subject: No Child Left Behind Act Football version

The Football Version of What is Going on in Education.

(If you're not an educator, this may not make a lot of sense to you. But send it to your friends who are in education. They will love it--and it's not too far off from reality.)

For all educators in or out of the system...

NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT---The Football Version

1. All teams must make the state playoffs and all MUST win the championship. If a team does not win the championship, they will be on probation until they are the champions, and coaches will be held accountable. If after two years they have not won the championship their footballs and equipment will be taken away UNTIL they do win the championship.

2. All kids will be expected to have the same football skills at the same time even if they do not have the same conditions or opportunities to practice on their own. NO exceptions will be made for lack of interest in football, a desire to perform athletically, or genetic abilities or disabilities of themselves or their parents.

ALL KIDS WILL PLAY FOOTBALL AT A PROFICIENT LEVEL!

3. Talented players will be asked to work out on their own, without instruction. This is because the coaches will be using all their instructional time with the athletes who aren't
interested in football, have limited athletic ability, or whose parents don't like football.

4. Games will be played year round, but statistics will only be kept in the 4th, 8th, and 11th game. It will create a New Age of Sports where every school is expected to have the same level of talent and all teams will reach the same minimum goals.

If no child gets ahead, then no child gets left behind...

-write that down...