We're in this together

The start of a new school year always fills me with hope — hope that we can make a difference for our students, for public education and for the teaching profession. This year, we have a real opportunity to turn that hope into reality, and it comes on November 2 — Election Day.

I know, some of you are saying it seems like all we do at CTA is talk about politics. Well, the reality is that public education these days is about politics. Whether it's the curriculum we teach, the textbooks we use, the number of kids in our classrooms, the process for getting our credential, or even the salaries we earn, some politician has had his or her fingerprints all over the decision. We'll get out of politics when the politicians get out of our classrooms.

That's why it is important for us to be involved in local, state and federal elections. CTA makes recommendations in every election. And I always say these are only recommendations. You always have the final decision. But this year, before casting your vote — whether you are a Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Green or claim no party at all — I really want you to ask yourself: What do I care about? Who shares our goals for public schools and the teaching profession?

One of the most intrusive educational policies by a Washington politician I have seen in my 30 years of teaching came to us wrapped up with a catchy little name — No Child Left Behind. I'll admit, it's a nice name, but this federal law is a joke. It's hurting kids, educators and schools across the country. And I believe the only way to really get rid of it is to change the person sitting in the White House.

Let me give you just a few facts about this flawed legislation.

First, it's not even funded. President Bush shortchanged his own law by more than $9.4 billion this year for a total of $24 billion less than what he promised since the legislation was approved three years ago. Here in California that cut in funding means:

More than 752,000 disadvantaged students were left behind.

More than 1 million English language learners didn't get the resources they need to help them learn English.

Some 374,000 disadvantaged preschoolers and their families were denied services under Head Start.

More than 382,000 eligible students were denied Pell Grants to attend college.

Second, it measures student achievement and punishes schools based solely on standardized test scores. There are 37 requirements a school must meet to be considered proficient under NCLB, and if just one of those requirements is missed — sometimes even by just one student — the entire school is labeled failing and subject to sanctions.

An example of the confusion and absurdity created by this law can be seen in the recently released NCLB Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) scores for California. More than 60 percent of our schools made the proficient benchmark, but more than 300 schools were labeled failing even though they had improved under the state's accountability system. And many of the schools that didn't reach the AYP benchmark failed because some kids were absent and didn't take the test — the school missed the 95 percent participation rate requirement. Apparently the George Bush definition of proficient has nothing to do with learning, but rather with how many kids took the test.

Finally and most importantly, No Child Left Behind focuses on the wrong priorities for our schools by wasting billions of dollars on paperwork, bureaucracy and more standardized testing, rather than giving kids what they really need to succeed: smaller class sizes, up-to-date textbooks and materials, and quality teachers.

That is why CTA and the National Education Association are supporting Senator John Kerry for President. In interviews with CTA and NEA members Senator Kerry promised to fix and fully fund NCLB. NEA invited President Bush for an interview, but he refused. He also declined to fill out the candidate questionnaire or participate in the NEA recommendation process.

Like teachers, Senator Kerry supports multiple assessments and measures to determine a student's and a school's success. He understands that one size does not fit all and that you must give schools the resources they need to succeed. He opposes school vouchers, will expand health care to all children so students come to school ready to learn, and supports universal preschool to help give each child a strong start. He also wants to expand grants and scholarship opportunities so more students can afford to go to college.

This election is critical to the future of public education, and as educators we have a responsibility to let our voices be heard. If you care about what's best for California families, if you care about your career, vote to change the leadership in Washington.

You are only as powerful as your vote. On November 2, make sure it's counted.