NCLB and the narrowing of curriculum in American Public Schools
................................................................................................From the NY Times, March 26, 2006:
SCHOOLS CUT BACK SUBJECTS TO PUSH
READING AND MATH:
http://www.trueblueliberal.com/2006/03/26/schools-cut-back-subjects-to-push-reading-and-math/
Excerpt:
"Thousands of schools across the nation are responding to the reading and math testing requirements laid out in No Child Left Behind, President Bush’s signature education law, by reducing class time spent on other subjects and, for some low-proficiency students, eliminating it.Schools from Vermont to California are increasing — in some cases tripling — the class time that low-proficiency students spend on reading and math, mainly because the federal law, signed in 2002, requires annual exams only in those subjects and punishes schools that fall short of rising benchmarks.
The changes appear to principally affect schools and students who test below grade level.
The intense focus on the two basic skills is a sea change in American instructional practice, with many schools that once offered rich curriculums now systematically trimming courses like social studies, science and art. A nationwide survey by a nonpartisan group that is to be made public on March 28 indicates that the practice, known as narrowing the curriculum, has become standard procedure in many communities."
(See link above for complete article)
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Lately, some schools are beginning to stop this trend of narrowing the curricula and are adopting "new-old" strategies to accomodate more of their students' needs:
http://mobile.latimes.com/mobile.php?UMPG=article&UM_SCTN=Education&UM_ARTICLE_LINK=http://www.latimes.com%2Fnews%2Feducation%2Fla-me-voced6apr06%2C1%2C5971960.story%3Fcoll%3Dla-news-learning
Excerpt:
"Chris Walker, a lobbyist for several blue-collar trade groups in Sacramento, predicted that ConnectEd would confront barriers from the University of California and the California State University systems, which are loath to accept some vocational courses as college prep material. Increasingly, California school districts are adopting the entry requirements of the university systems as high school graduation requirements. "More and more, this college pathway is edging career tech out," Walker said. The poll commissioned by Irvine, which was conducted by Peter D. Hart Research Associates among a representative sample of California high school students, found that only 39% of students said they liked going to school and that their school "does a good job of motivating me to work hard and do my best." The remaining 61% who disagreed with that statement were selected for more in-depth interviews. Of those students, 88% said they probably would enroll in a career-oriented school if they had the chance. There was virtually no difference among racial or ethnic groups, but in a departure from stereotype, girls were more likely than boys to say that they would benefit from hands-on learning."
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posted by Da Manijment @ 1:55 PM
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