COMMENTARY | Ten states were granted waivers from the requirements of No Child Left Behind, according to CNN. The states are Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oklahoma and Tennessee. The waivers were granted in exchange for commitments to bring about improvements in education -- but how?
NCLB requirements such as minimum scores on certain standardized tests caused negative changes in education, according to a Los Angeles Times report. Teachers said their classrooms had become factories to produce good test takers instead of places of real education.
The challenge is to find ways to improve performance without defining it in ways that force educators to "teach to the test." I believe that means we need to improve the quality of school facilities, the quality of teachers and the quality of the academic curriculum taught.
Improving the quality of teachers is no small task. It cannot happen overnight. The process will take years and should start by transforming teaching into the kind of professional opportunity sought out by bright, talented and motivated people.
Talent tends to follow money so teachers' salaries need to drastically increase. Tuition, room, board, books and fees should be government-funded in full for students pursuing degrees in education and the specialties in which they will teach, including post-graduate studies.
More top students would be inclined to seek careers in education if the pay increased. As such the standards for acceptance into education programs can be raised ensuring only top-drawer candidates will enter the programs. The net effect over time will be a new crop of highly skilled and dedicated educators.
Academic facilities need to be increased in size and modernity to accommodate the swelling population and need for better education. That might mean increased taxes. If so, bring it on. It's an investment in the nation's success.
Finally, the academic curriculum need to focus heavily on reading, writing, mathematics, sciences and foreign languages. Every student should take classes in logic to develop critical thinking skills. We're producing a nation ill-equipped for success in a modern, global economy and that must change.
A strong return to fundamental skills, training talented educators, and modernizing our schools is our only hope. It will produce students ready to rebuild the power of our workforce and create jobs and businesses in the future.
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