|
WASHINGTON, DC -- Representative George Miller (D-CA), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement today at an Education and the Workforce Committee hearing on “No Child Left Behind: How Innovative Educators Are Integrating Subject Matter to Improve Student Achievement.”
***
Good morning. I want to thank Chairman McKeon for scheduling today’s hearing and starting the process of reviewing No Child Left Behind. It has been over four years since we enacted this law and I am eager to hear from our panelists about how it has worked for them and, most importantly, for their students.
As one of the original authors of No Child Left Behind, I get asked a lot about NCLB’s future. Our challenge with reauthorization next year will be to maintain the core values of the law – closing the achievement gap and helping all children become proficient in the knowledge and skills they need to graduate – while still being responsive to legitimate concerns.
No Child Left Behind is making a difference. School districts across the country have taken the goals of this law to heart and are working to improve academic achievement for their students. The achievement gap is closing between African American and white children, between Hispanic and white children, and between high- and low-income children. We are making progress in many school districts.
However, we can do better. The criticisms we hear are valid in many instances and I look forward to hearing from teachers, parents, students, principals, superintendents, and others about how we can address them.
One of the criticisms that we hear about NCLB is that its focus on reading and math for accountability purposes leads educators to narrow the curriculum, focusing on these subjects at the expense of others. I have visited a number of schools where this concern has been raised including, most recently, schools in South Dakota on the Pine Ridge and Rosebud Indian Reservations.
But I also saw educators there who were integrating curriculum in exciting ways – such as one teacher of the arts whose students were making their own movies, but learning important math concepts in the process.
I am pleased that the National Indian Education Association has provided written testimony for today’s hearing and thank them for reminding committee Members and stakeholders that NCLB explicitly recognizes the unique educational and culturally related academic needs of Native American children. I know there is great interest in hearings on the impact of NCLB on Native American children and look forward to taking a close look at this issue during reauthorization.
I think it is important for us to acknowledge that NCLB has put pressure on educators to rethink their curriculum and to sometimes make tough choices. If a child is not proficient in reading, I think we would all agree that it is urgently important and in the best interest of that child for his or her school to prioritize reading and do whatever it takes to learn this most basic of skills.
Without mastering reading, a child will be hard-pressed to understand their social studies text, or other subjects – and they will be hampered in numerous ways throughout life. We would all probably also all agree, however, that we do not want this increased focus to come at the expense of history, social studies, the arts or other subjects that add balance and richness to the learning experience.
We also need to acknowledge the creative and innovative educators across the country – many of whom are represented by our panel today – who are thinking creatively and finding ways to make sure that it’s not an “either-or” proposition for their students – not reading or history, or math or music. These educators are finding innovative ways to make sure their students get the best of all subjects and their achievement is soaring at these schools.
One thing in particular that I will be listening for today is what we in Congress can do during the reauthorization to prevent schools from feeling that they must choose the “either-or” approach. We must also think about how we can encourage – and make it more feasible – for more educators to take creative, innovative, and successful approaches like those we will hear about today.
Nothing we will do on this committee is more important than ensuring that we live up to No Child Left Behind’s promise of opportunity and a quality education for every child. I appreciate all that each of our panelists are doing to make this a reality and look forward to hearing from you.
Thank you Mr. Chairman.
### |
|
