June 8, 2006

State's classroom educators not welcome at education law hearing

The Aspen Institute's Commission on No Child Left Behind is holding a field hearing in Wisconsin this Friday, June 9, to discuss the law's impact on student achievement and the achievement gap, but is not allowing Wisconsin public school teachers or staff to testify. The commission, co-chaired by former Wisconsin governor Tommy Thompson, failed to invite anyone from Wisconsin's classrooms to testify, and when educators made repeated attempts to testify the commissioners still would not allow it.

WEAC President Stan Johnson said the public is missing out.

"The men and women who work every day in Wisconsin's classrooms are the people who deal most closely with this law and, frankly, the people who I most want to hear from on this issue," Johnson said. "I have nothing against those who have been invited to speak, but there is a big hole in the program."

Robin Duncan, a special needs teacher at Barton Elementary School in Milwaukee, said there are many concerns she would like to convey to the commission and the people of Wisconsin about the No Child Left Behind law as the date of its next reauthorization draws near.

"If I had been allowed to speak, I would have told the commissioners that because of budget cuts special needs children are being overlooked," Duncan said. "I would have told them I have 30 students in my caseload, and I should be spending approximately 15 hours a week with each of them.

"I would have told the commissioners the No Child Left Behind law is too punitive and that the interventions the law requires are unproven and do not, in fact, work. I would have said the achievement gap must be addressed, but that labeling and punishing schools, under-funding your own law by $55 billion, and earmarking virtually no money for school improvement do not seem like sincere or serious attempts to address the achievement gap to the people working inside the schools.

"I would have told the commission that teacher mentoring, professional development, small class sizes, the Student Achievement Guarantee in Education program and 4-year-old kindergarten are sound methods already proven to work that educators already believe in. Why not bolster these efforts instead of undermining them with political rhetoric and costly punishments?"

Duncan and other educators will submit written testimony in lieu of speaking, and educators from throughout Wisconsin will attend the June 9 hearing at the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center in Madison.