This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

Big transition year for schools

When President Bush enacted No Child Left Behind, he mandated that all children be proficient in Reading and Math by the year 2014. He's no longer president and NCLB has failed. Now we have Obama's Race to the Top with Common Core Standards being rolled out this year with equally flawed measuring tools. As I look forward to a new school year, I have grave concerns about setting goals based on questionably-valid tests designed by a for-profit company. Look at the abysmal results for English Language Learners in New York, in the El Diario article below. When you impose "tough standards" without proper vetting or support, this is what happens to the most vulnerable students. Why are we setting them up for failure? The article below advocates “bilingual education,” which is a term so widely misunderstood. I support a full range of services designed to help immigrant students learn English while acquiring Math, Science and other skills simultaneously. I know that MCPS has moved more slowly and carefully to adopt Common Core and I applaud this decision.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?