YouTube Debate: No Child Left Behind - Scrap or Revise?

[ejaapl]

Just working on a project for English on excessive testing, and with some simple math (not the most accurate) I came up with about 107 tests in high school. I guess we shouldn't be called Generation text anymore. Generation Test seems more accurate.

[zadeh79]

No rich white child left behind, is more like it. 

[skydome29]

Bush when he implemented it thought only one thing: engineers and scientists/mathematicians. He wanted the usa to pump them out hoping to fix his broken mess. (I have absolutely no opposition to the above fields, but when they and their classes are solely enforced, at the great expense of others it benefits no one. I feel scientific literacy and mathematical understanding and language literacy are absolutely vital but not all that should be required.

[horrifiedteacher]

Dream team for 2012...Hillary as President, Diane Ravitch as Secretary of Education.

[Rw7451]

This crap doesn't work. It has only drawn back in educating the people. If you're retarded, then join the special ed program. The majority shouldn't be punished for other people being slow. #Hate ignorance.

[AsherSax]

By the time a student is in high school, he or she has the ability to decide for his or herself whether or not to be a slacker. If a child slacks off in class, why hold back those who aren't slacking? The young adults need to be separated from the children (as far as maturity goes), even if that means leaving a lot of students behind. They should be given LOTS of notification about this in elementary school and junior high, but once high school starts, it SHOULD be getting down to business.

[alikakanet]

the children need good socilty enviement and good family enviorment ,that children have hope dream in lift

[lvll138inrs]

standarized testing is needed in order to evaluate children. we cannot and should not let teachers evaluate the students.

[j4mes570]

i love how they hate it but we still have it (food 4 thought)

[tanofan25]

You can take a horse to water but you can't make that horse drink it.

Same thing with teachers. You can have the best qualified teachers. But if the kids are too lazy and do not care and the parents do not parent and teach anything at home, it is a lost cause.

Plus you have special ed kids and autistic kids who are needy and need reasonable accomodations to help them with their learning.

[Statspoilizie]

END THE FED!!

[robin2765]

No child should be left behind. but i know for a fact some still do because there are teachers that just roll over on grading them and pass them to the next grade level. My neighbor has a son with mild autism and one of the boy's teachers actually said they wouldnt fail him. The teacher just marks an A on his homework without looking at it. What kind of teacher is that?!!! Most try their best but there are some who just dont give a damn. They just want their paycheck and no headache.

[DarrelfromZeeland]

@robin2765 That's what happens when you mainstream retards with normal kids. 40 years ago that retard would've been put in a special school. Then the libturds started whining about mainstreaming them. The schools have to lower their standards in order to accomodate them so that everyone passes. No wonder public schools aren't worth shit and we're losing jobs to the gooks and dotheads.

[itsjustme2919]

@DarrelfromZeeland First of all they aren't "retards". Mainstreaming the three or four kids with severe mental retardation into a school of 300 or 400 doesn't pull the averages down so much. Public and private don't make a whole lot of difference either. Private schools can kick out bad students and then they go to public schools. THEN the average gets pulled down with an influx of them every year.

[itsjustme2919]

@robin2765 Well just passing a child to the next grade doesn't help either. That hurts the child and the school, pulling down their report card. If he had autism then he needs to be with a special ed teacher. I don't know of any teacher that promises not fail a student if thats the case that teacher needs to be fired.

[robin2765]

@itsjustme2919 yes you will be happy to hear that this teacher did get canned and with good reason. She apparently liked to text on her cell during class and didn't do much in the way of helping her students.( most teachers do try their best, I want to point that out.)

[wiscokiddd]

The Pope, Michael Jackson and GW Bush have all worked together to come up with a program to reform education. It is called the "Leave no Child's Behind Act"

[loymonteiro]

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[EveryoneNeedsToChill]

Scrap the entire education system. It was never mandatory... so why should it be now? Why do we have to go to school and become "professional test takers" as the one candidate said. We all know that we learned nothing in highschool except how to roll a joint.... I mean come on.

[NYJared04]

Obama, Richardson, Clinton, and Edwards are not liberals.

[EveryoneNeedsToChill]

I don't think I said they were...

And are you implying that the dept. of education is a somehow Republican institution?

If anything it is first and foremost a social institution, and far away from being the project of a small government. They can't save us.

They can't protect us.

Only harm will come from keeping these beasts alive...

[NYJared04]

Jimmy Carter put in the Department of Education. Plus he's a supporter of Israel. AIPAC supports their agenda to brutally oppressing the Palestinians.

We can slam the Bush Administration all we want but you have to blame the Senate, the Congress, and Israel lobby for getting us into this mess.

That's why 9/11 happened. Because we supported Israel.

[itsjustme2919]

@EveryoneNeedsToChill Schooling is mandatory. In fact I think it should be considered child abuse if you don't get your child to school until they're 18. No school means no college. No college means no cushy job. No cushy job leads to a life full of despair and uselessness.

[robin2765]

@itsjustme2919 I agree. A student should not be allowed to quit school even with parental consent. Although college does not guarantee a cushy job, it can only help. At least graduating from high school should be mandatory. Parents need to realize they, their selves need to get off their butts and help the child and not use school as a babysitter. Children are,and always will be the future!

[DescryCodes]

I say scrap math, scrap history, scrap english, scrap social studies, and bring back morals into this country. Because without morals, all the children who learned math, history, social studies, and english are getting killed because of drugs, violent movies, games, rudeness, alcohol, cigarettes, and other troubles, etc. MORALS FIRST, then we'll discuss the other subjects.

Our society allows merchants to sell these things, along with aspertame, flouride. Where are our MORALS? Enough if ENOUGH!

[elevensmiles11]

morals need to be taught by parents not schools

[DescryCodes]

Morals need to be taught by everyone. It takes a community to raise a child.

You see, here's the delima...

It takes both parents these days to work to make ends meet. The kids are away from the home probably 80% of their waking day due to school and playing outside. There are more peer pressures, and influences at school and in neighborhoods than anywhere else. And now adays, on the internet through games and myspace etc........

[elevensmiles11]

in addition to my comments, schools HAVE BEEN TEACHING MORALS.

all i ever had was morals shoved down my throat my entire education life, but best of i was taught to think for myself.

in school i was taught: not to steal/lie/use drugs/drink/ abstinence/be a good person, etc.

the fact of the matter is, no matter how much you teach kids morals, they will make mistakes or act out

i still think parents play a larger role than the school could ever do

[DescryCodes]

elevensmiles? Of course kids will make mistakes, that's why we teach with explanation, and by example. When you get older you make mistakes too. But as long as you're willing to learn & don't physically or spiritually hurt someone, feelings, it shows respect for others and most of all kindness to yourself without regrets. Yes parents play a large roll, but if they must work 10 hours a day to make ends meet because of inflation, then kids get neglected. There R many factors involved. All matter.

[DescryCodes]

A pressing economy has a major influence on the time we're allowed to spend with our children. Tax reliefs and inflations, and over spending doesn't just affect the parents, it affects the children too. It takes everyone to help raise a child. Get in touch with neighbors, swap telephone numbers, keep in touch, help keep an eye on everyones children. Call them, tell them what their kids are doing. Good or bad. Attend school board meetings see what can be done. Kids are our future, and our hearts.

[NYJared04]

Why don't we get rid of these stupid drug laws.

[asdimd]

Morals based on what philosophy?  Based on what ethical approach? Can we not learn moral lessons from history?

[ananiasacts]

Do you mean biblical morals? Like stoning people to death for collecting fire word on the sabbath?

I think the reason kids lose respect for their parents is because they come to realize their parents are stupid enough to lie to them by trying to convince them they believe in god. No one sane really believes that crap. Kids are not old enough to be stupid yet. None of them believe it. When they say they are they're lying. It's a sick sick thing to force your kids to lie to you. God is a joke.

[EveryoneNeedsToChill]

They don't believe the institutions, you're right.

Churches have been denied by our generation. Many of us call ourselves Atheists because the word "God" has been associated with structure for so long.

But I warn you not to abandon your spirit... religion isn't any more misguided than anything else that politicians have stole from us.

[ananiasacts]

".. religion isn't any more misguided than anything else that politicians have stole from us."

Sure. God will always be there to underwrite the most absurd of hopes. But this is only after every once of reason has been spent and there's nothing left but hope.

We're talking about the people who use god to avoid the consequences of reasoning. They are socially dysfunctional and should at least be made to pay for the damage cause by their recklessness.

[NYJared04]

Put aside our TV sets for once and start repealing drug laws. The Federal Gov't has no business in education. Leave it to the states. Ronald Reagan used to talk about getting rid of the Dept. of Education.

Pull out of Iraq, Korea, Afghanistan, Japan, Egypt, NATO, the UN. End the IRS, the Federal Reserve, the Income Tax.

[ananiasacts]

"Pull out of Iraq, Korea, Afghanistan, Japan, Egypt, NATO, the UN. End the IRS, the Federal Reserve, the Income Tax."

How would the government pay the social security, medicaid, and other obligations if we took your advice? Are you suggesting we also default on all of the existing bonds? Without being able to roll them over or tax Americans to pay them something would have to give.

[DarrelfromZeeland]

@ananiasacts Socialist insecurity and medicaid never should've been passed in the first place.

[deccacceb]

screw the NFLB act. as a student going to school to be an art teacher i have learned that art classes are being dropped because bush& his staff don't think art serves a purpose but when really it does. art is can open the eyes to At-Risk children who are having a hard to with standardized testing.

so SCREW NCLB act. up yours!

[GuitarDudeX]

NCLB leaves behind the smart kids. NCLB forces teachers to focus all their energy on the kids who are struggling and will probably never even go to college. But the smart kids get forgotten about and are left mostly to fend for themselves. We should be helping the smart kids who are going to grow up and be our doctors, engineers, etc... We should be helping the smart kids get to college and help them be our leaders of tomorrow! I don't believe in standardized testing any way. It's B.S.

[ohsnap31]

Guitardude,

Excellent comment.

[ODYSSEUSEXYZ]

u people in the us have a fuked up edu system

OMFG testing at the 3rd grade wTF

there minds arent mature enough to be able to cope with the questions...

[GuitarDudeX]

Very good point! 3rd graders are just not ready to deal with testing in the way they're put through it these days. Look what the schools are doing! At every level in Elementary schools now, kids are expected to do grade level work that they're just not ready for yet. I see it every year. So as a teacher, I have to "help" my kids with everything, or they can't get good grades. We teach to the test, we give the kids all the answers, then give them the test, then give them "A"s. It's wrong

[atowne]

fuck public schools i went to one in ny thats supposedly great and well funded and private school kids got a better education than i did for less money and my mom's in the teacher's union i don't give a damn

[lspsurfer]

I don't think an education reform act should be implemented by someone who can barley speech english himself, who never takes the blame for his own mistakes and pretends to know everything. he had a 2.0 in school is this someone we want in charge of the school system and the govenator needs to stop cutting the edu budget

[amaliah7]

You probably shouldn't comment when you can "barley speech" english yourself.

[janet444]

Amalia, lspsurfer could have proofread his/her comment, but the comment itself is excellent.

[ikekll]

SCRAP IT!

"The "No Child Left Behind" initiative destroys a teacher's right to educate as they see fit while mandating that all testing components are purchased from Neil Bush's testing software company."

[brokado]

Wow the public school system really has screwed up. I went to a catholic middle school and now in a catholic high school where i have seen some of the kids in the no child left behind act. Those kids are really messed up. All they ask is what will be on the test. They fail word problems and act like machines. Now i really am thankful for the education i got in middle school where i actually learned future skills. This act needs to be scrapped

[tpang21]

<_< It's been like that prior to NCLB. The NCLB did not turn kids into machines. I don't know the NCLB myself, but it certainly did not single-handedly turn an entire generation into walking encyclopedia automatons. You can thank that prospect of life to the helicopter parents.

[jimmybryght]

Actually, it's no RICH child left behind. The neo-cons and their mindless followers don't really care about children or healthcare.

[eatsleepteach]

African refugees in my class are expected to score as high as a child from an English speaking family. When my scores seem low does that indicate that I am a bad teacher? The truth is that working in an inner city school is already stressful enough without the NCLB act. I am so hopeful that NCLB will be changed in the next year scrapped. This act leaves students behind because I can not teach them what they need- what I know as an educator they need.

[delaney693]

And the merit system for teacher: many children cannot function in school because so many of their basic needs are not met. So why should my colleagues and I be penalized because of parents that do not know how to parent. It is disgraceful enough what our salaries are for the education that we need to have. Anyone else coming out of college with a Masters degree would be making double what a teacher makes.

[delaney693]

I would just like to say that as a teacher "No Child Left Behind" is a joke. This is basically stating that every child in the U.S will be reading on grade level. When I say every, I mean every (including children who are mentally retarded).

[sarahsbooks]

glad to see they've got the message. my opinion is, this is a classic example of the government is beast which governs least.

[Fortifius]

For a poor canuck like me, can someone explain what is this "No Child Left Behind" program? I know it has something to do with education. But what is the emphasis of the program?

[schnauzerhead]

Ehh, basically school money is allocated based on test scores. If students score better, they get more money, score less, less money. It makes no sense.

[Fortifius]

wow for real? Why not just do like we do in Canada? Allocate money to the poorest parents via burses and such for their kids. If that is the core of the program, I agree that they need to completly overhaul it.

[azntx01]

In my opinion, I think in order to improve education. We need to reward good teacher based on student performance. To be fair, student test result compare to previous year to see any improvement. Teacher get bonus/reward for helping student to improve. bonus program will motivate teacher to focus harder on each individual performance instead group.

[deadfresh10]

thats what obama said

[4dplane]

No good - only because it is too difficult to quantify a child's performance in contrast to his or her background (race, class, family background etc...).

This is how it should be done; by high school, any child that does not control his or her behavior is out; let the rest of the people who want to learn and understand the value of being educated; do so, in an environment that is conductive to the ideals of learning. Why bring down the whole lot because of a few sons of bitches!!!

[schnauzerhead]

Wow.

[SailantShadows]

I think generally you have a good idea, should it work in all scenarios.

However, we need to understand that there needs to be a commitment from the student in question and the parents in his/her education for any improvement at all. That's an obvious fact.

Furthermore, teachers may be tempted to have the tendency to simply spoonfeed, give answers, or only teach students how to take tests (which undermines the need for subject application and independent thinking).

[youloseilol]

another thing that the standardized tests do is screw people who are actualy smart in the school if you get 100%s n one cares eventualy i just stoped tryin because you get treated the same if you just passing. its wrong. nclb is tottaly useless.

[sarahsbooks]

good point youlose

[naakkve10]

For people who really don't understand how NCLB impacts a student:

We have to take endless amounts of standardized tests. ENDLESS amounts. The standards for being a poor student and being a great student have changed dramatically. If you are a slacker, you're as good as retarded. Basically, it's a pain in all of our asses and NO ONE, teachers included, likes it.

[DDief]

Scrap NCLB? Yes, but not good enough. Why not scrap the whole Department of Education? Why do we need this bureaucratic nonsense anyways. Let the states handle it. Why does education have to be a federal issue? Especially if what comes from it is bull like NCLB? what constitutional right does the federal gov have to hold states accountable for childrens test scores?

[mandolinking]

Sorry, Biden, but you're probably losing a lot of votes on this flimsy reply.

[NowhereWarm]

what about english and history? not just science and math. No child left behind is bull, it doesn't help everyone become more educated, it helps everyone become less educated so those who care about learning have to sit through extremely slow moving classes, so everyone can "understand". Why dumb down everything, and not give extra help to those who need it, not those who ended up in the same class as those who need it?

[Gettinghitonattheban]

Or as Christopher Hitchens wisely puts it, no Child Behind Left.

[maximumsuave]

Americans need to realize that they shouldn't for any of those candidates that voted to go to iraq years back. They're only changing their minds now that they have their eye on the presidency, DO NOT BE FOOLED!!

[BrenttheGreat]

I am glad Republicans and Dems can agree on this issue. My parents are teachers and they say it is a VERY less effective program.

[Farren2007]

our goverment is so fucked up fuck no child left behind kids know about it my brother missed 87 days and they passed him failed everything yea somthing is fucked up

[18dezzie18]

I vote scrap the No Child Left Behind. Normal people shouldn't have to pay for stupid people who slack in school. And handicapped people should just get more personal help.

[biz4kids]

Want smart education?

Then empower kids to learn how to be entrepreneurs early on in life. Schools should teach the subject, after all these kids are either going to work for a company (profit or non profit) or create their own path by owning businesses. Let's really teach them real life lessons. Why do we still have to follow the industrial age style of education while we are in digital, service- oriented age?

[graywebster]

It's about time some politicians got it that NCLB is bureaucratic bullshit that cripples teachers and schools from preparing the next generation for the global challenges it faces.

[reaisan]

Woo! Richardson made one hell of a good point. I wish they got to ask what the rest of the panel thought about that. D:

[Kickin321]

Yes, SCRAP IT!!!!!!!!!!! No Child Left Behind is an abomination!!! Shoved down our throats by George W. Bush. Hillary voted for this garbage and needs to be called out on it. Hillary has NO CLUE. After the Governor got the crowd erupting on this, Hillary probably had no idea why. I wish the camera had shown her facial expression. Hillary is an isolated robot and needs to be taken down!!!.....No child left behind means many smarter children are being pulled behind.

[bigbeefnachosupreme]

the important thing to teach kids today is the fact that they wont be able to get a fucking JOB after 100000 education at their fucking prestigious scientific world renound university with a fucking advanced degree in chemistry not no child left behind.

[carrieyazel]

Richardson rules!!!!! Yes, SCRAP IT!!!!!!!!!!! No Child Left Behind is an abomination!!! Shoved down our throats by George W. Bush. Hillary voted for this garbage and needs to be called out on it. Hillary has NO CLUE. After the Governor got the crowd erupting on this, Hillary probably had no idea why. I wish the camera had shown her facial expression. Hillary is an isolated robot and needs to be taken down.

[rwbazillion]

I'm republican on a lot of issues but when it comes to education I agree with the democrats. My wife in in the educational systems and she said it hasn't helped people at all. When a school is unorganized and the teachers checks vary compared with rich areas the educations suffers. But also parenting, and morals also has a lot to do with it as well.

[blackturtleus]

It was a blast seeing my video on CNN! For a more readable version of the video check it on under my account. I've been told that the stuff I wrote on the white board was hard to read in this version of the video.

[milanoflix]

I don't agree science & math needs to be shoved down all kids' throats. We really need schools to give grade school age kids strong fundamentals in social skills - how to get along with others. If they can master that early, much good will come in all areas of their lives.

[funkeyundies]

you are such an easy target for big money advertising if that is what you think.

[Toxik03]

BIDEN College Affordability Program Passes Senate yesterday

Biden Program to Start College Financial Aid Process in 8th Grade

Washington, DC -- U.S. Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE)

who is really doing something on education Joe Biden 2008

[louis12346]

Support Hillary Abortion its for the children

[BabsRocky]

This should tell you where they see our future going. The Arts, Gym, and History are going by the way side, will they know who are? where they came from? Can they be creative or think? and learn not to repeat the errors of the past...they are the doctors, nurses and scientist that will be finding cures for the diseases of today....what are we willing to commit to them now? Johnny still can't add.

[Atutui]

Hillary is a conservative. Conservatives keep things the way they are now. That is why she opposes new foreign diplomacy ideas intended to change things for a better USA e.g. talking with rogue countries like Iran. To her change means propaganda. Obama is a progressive who believes things can change for better hence his willingness to meet rogue leaders. Hillary sticks to Bush's ideas.

[nododon]

Hillary will do just about anything to get votes. Did you notice how big her butt has gotten? She did this on purpose just to get the black vote away from Obama. (I like big butts and I cannot lie) lol

[carRamRod04]

Richardson you started out great, "The one size fits all doesn't work."

But then you became a hypocrite, "I would have a minimum wage for all our teachers."

Get rid of the Department of Education.

Give the teachers back their "freedom of association". Break down the teacher's union so we can have competitive salaries and an incentive for excellence.

[JMac46142]

Eliminate the Teachers Unions and get Government out of control of the schools - those are the only logical solutions to education.

[demonickalfun]

I agree for an education reform, but making teacher's salary equal across the board is iffy. As a future teacher, I'm concerned that a safe salary will produce slacking teachers. If we had teachers working for the education of the children instead of just coming to work every day for salary we would have teacher's who genuinely care about their work and will work harder for a more successful rate.

[MrMichuzz]

who is this ron paul I keep hearing about?

[ArchNME]

Higher teacher salary's to draw in better teachers and increase the teacher per student ratio. That's the solution to a better education system in America. Period. It's not that fucking complicated people.

[burningice17]

I appreciate Biden's honesty here. Richardson's dedication towards education is admirable here. People will definitely remember the 40K salary for teachers. It is about time for them to be paid like they should. Maybe we can afford education when we stop going into needless wars.