June 12 , 2007

State and federal lawmakers fail Wisconsin’s school children
Educators in Wisconsin Call for Change  

WEAC President Stan Johnson issued this statement following the announcement that 45 schools and the Milwaukee Public School District have been identified as schools in need of improvement because they did not make “adequate yearly progress” (AYP) for two or more years in a row, according to the list mandated by the so-called No Child Left Behind Law:

“This list of schools not meeting so-called adequate yearly progress does not help our great teachers and education support professionals do what really helps children learn in the classroom. Accountability should include multiple measures to evaluate learning – not just the results from reading and mathematics tests. Within five to six years nearly every school in Wisconsin and in the nation will be identified as in-need of improvement under the ESEA’s unrealistic expectations.”

“This AYP list does not address the societal gaps that make learning more difficult for disadvantaged students, especially our youngest learners. The No Child law requires school districts to give tests developed for regular education students to many students with disabilities and non-English speaking students.”

Adequate yearly progress (AYP) is one provision in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), federal laws that govern education. This act is up for reauthorization in 2007.

“We know what works in Wisconsin: Great teachers and staff, small class sizes, one-on-one attention, ongoing teacher training and mentoring, up-to-date books and learning materials, parental involvement and community support. Not mandates and punishments handed down from Washington, D.C.”

“We hope that legislators listen to what WEAC’s great teachers have been saying all along. We need to shift away from punishing schools with one-size-fits-all programs and give educators the flexibility they need to meet the individual needs of each student that enters a classroom. The federal government undermines local control of education with the No Child law even as it under funds the law by tens of billions of dollars.”

The National Education Association has recommended five priorities for the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind:

“This law must be overhauled if it is ever going to benefit Wisconsin’s children and our state’s future.”

For stories about how the No Child Left Behind Law affects Wisconsin teachers, visit http://www.weac.org/News/2006-07/jan07/voices.htm

For information about how Wisconsin Superintendents believe NCLB is failing Wisconsin schools: http://www.weac.org/News/2006-07/feb07/revcapsurvey1.htm

For video about NEA’s Positive Agenda for Change, visit http://www.weac.org/Capitol/ESEAvideo.htm?v=4TlL8q6AL74