Miami Student

Issue date: 4/20/07 Section: Campus

A panel featuring viewpoints from opposing sides of the NCLB debate, met Wednesday night in 322 McGuffey Hall to discuss the validity of the act.

Sporting T-shirts that read, "I am not a number," students represented the No Child Left Behind Reparation (NCLBR) group during a debate Wednesday evening in a packed room of students and faculty members in McGuffey Hall.

The group, which was formed in fall 2006, attempts to create awareness on their desire to amend the No Child Left Behind Act. This particular debate featured a dialogue about the NCLB Act and its upcoming reauthorization.

"We are hosting this debate in order to inform the student body what No Child Left Behind it, and why it is affecting them and our educational system," said Kay Sand, president of NCLBR. "The No Child Left Behind Act is something that is shaping our youth and the youth of the future ... Right now they want to pass standardized testing in college with an assessment on all college levels."

The No Child Left Behind Act is a piece of federal legislation signed into effect by President George W. Bush in January 2002. The nation's public school systems have been affected, because the act holds teachers accountable for student learning by means of standardized testing. Districts that have a majority improvement and pass these tests receive extra funding while districts that are "failing" lose funding.

The debate featured those in favor of the legislation and those opposed, who were asked various questions relating to NCLB. The eight panel members were chosen by NCLBR based on being well-informed individuals with passion relating to bettering the education system.

The affirmative panel shared their views based on knowledge of the act, as well as personal experiences.

"A lot of people associate NCLB with assessment … the difference is NCLB is an intervention law, a new concept where schools can see if children are failing to achieve … (and) they are provided considerable help," said Kevin Jones, associate professor in the department of educational psychology.

Affirmative panel member Herbert Dietz, principal and career technical education director for the Hamilton City School District, said the policy makes teachers notice some of the students that may ordinarily slip through the cracks.

Continued...

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