Education or Edited Dictation

By: Anuket Baket Akeba (Larina Woodie)

What is Education? Education is defined as the process of giving or receiving instruction. It is the theory and practice of teaching. Education etymologically comes from the latin verb educare which means to lead out. By any definition be it the etymological origin or it’s conventional interpretation this word obviously has nothing to do with getting more proficient or learnt in one or more things. Despite what we would like this word to mean and despite what resonates in our hearts and minds when we hear this word none of which we can concur corresponds with reality. Education has become more mechanical than ever. It is time for parents and students alike to step and say something before we end up in too deep a whole to climb out of.

 

During the Bush administration there was a No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (Public Law 107-110), often abbreviated in print as NCLB and sometimes shortened in pronunciation to "nicklebee". The NCLB is a United States federal law (Act of Congress) that was originally proposed by President George W. Bush on January 23, 2001, immediately after taking office. NCLB has many faults and set backs in terms of education. A primary supportive claim asserts that systematic testing provides data that shed light on which schools are not teaching basic skills effectively, so that interventions can be made to improve outcomes for all students while reducing the achievement gap for disadvantaged and disabled students.

The No Child Left Back Act reduced effective instruction and student learning because it caused the states to lower achievement goals and motivate teachers to "teach to the test. In New York, 87% of students entering the City University required remedial courses. An excessive percentage of college freshmen require remedial work, because they did not learn the basics in high school. 70% of Florida's 10th graders scored below the basic reading level. “Only half of our students graduate from high school." This is additional evidence to the fact U.S. 12th graders continue to score at the bottom of a long list of other nations in the International Math and Science Test Series – This means that despite smaller class sizes and higher spending per student than other nations we still have a failing school system.

  What do parents & taxpayers think about this shameful performance, you may ask? Well many want to know why the remediation and are two-thirds of High School Diplomas bogus? How does a student get a high school diploma if they have to take high school courses when they attempt to enter college. Even more important to note is the fact that the standard of teaching varies from one community to the other or from one zone to the other in terms of the curriculum. This means that inevitably depending on what high school your child graduates from; their diploma will either heighten the probability they will need remedial courses upon entering college or need little to none. Much like depending on what zone your school is in determines if they allow children to be skipped and how much times they are allowed to be skipped. The biggest question is who do these provisions cater to.  If the high schools were effective in their endeavor to properly educate the children before passing them on then there would be no need for remediation.  Massachusetts is one of four states now considering charging back to high schools the cost of remedial courses for their graduates

The NCLB (No Child Left Behind) requires states to develop assessments in basic skills to be given to all students in certain grades, if those states are to receive federal funding for schools. NCLB does not assert a national achievement standard. Standards are set by each individual state, in line with the principle of local control of schools. Because the law allows each state to set its own pass/fail bar on skills tests, “proficient” means something different depending on which state you live in. The percentage of Missouri fourth –graders at or above “proficient” in English is only 35%, but 89% of Mississippi fourth-graders meet that state’s standards. In math, only 39% of Maine fourth-graders are proficient or better; in North Carolina, 92% are. It’s narrowing what many schools teach. This is a prime case of educational neglect..

The purpose of the educational system initially was to produce a well rounded child intellectually. Geniuses are rendered as those who are whole brain thinkers; meaning they use both cerebral hemispheres of the brain. The left cerebral hemisphere deals with analysis (math, science, language) and the right deals with emotion (music, art, gym,).  The more of a connection that is established between the two spheres the higher the I.Q and ability to reason. However, the No Child Left Behind act compels the states to focus exclusively on Math and Science neglecting the emotional aspect of education. The most creative aspect of education is ignored. Think about this for a moment. From junior high to high school alone how many times has your child or even yourself had music class and how many children has even learned to play or even played one instrument in class. Many just learn the name of composers and definitions. Such is the case with art class; just more definitions and names of people but no real hands on experience throughout the years that stays with you. This is why the youth overindulge in sports, music, and other “wreck creational” activities. They have been deprived of emotion most of their school lives. Even when I was in school we had to be real good if we wanted to actually participate in any activity and we still needed a book and pen from time to time.

71% of districts are reducing time on other subjects in elementary school thanks to the NCLB Act. The law's annual testing requirements in math and reading have led many schools to pump up the amount of time they spend teaching these two staples — often at the expense of other subjects, such as history, art or science. It is up to the parents, students, and the community to take charge and get more involved in our education. If we do not, it doesn’t matter what act, law, or bill is proposed or enforced, we will always end up on the short end of the stick.