Monday, August 22, 2005
No State Left Behind? (or: Some Days It's Good to Be a Nutmegger!)
Fans of states' right, take note! A bold move taken today by the attorney general of Connecticut may force the federal government to ensure it has enough money budgeted to pay for national programs. The scenario in question centers around my favorite recent piece of federal legislation, the No Child Left Behind Act, which requires annual standardized testing to ensure students are meeting national education standards. The trouble is not with the intent of the law, which Blumenthal notes is laudable, but rather its lack of flexibility. In the case of Connecticut, for example, students have already been tested every alternate year beginning in 4th grade. The NCLB mandate for annual testing, along with targeted programs to help specific districts meet federal guidelines, will require an expenditure of $112 million, of which the federal government is only providing $71 million. So who pays for the remainder? Take a guess.
If you said the taxpayers of Connecticut, you'd be right. But puzzle this further. A quick visit to the NEA website indicates that Connecticut already pays its public school teachers the highest average salary in the country ($57,337/yr.) and the second highest per student public school expenditures ($11,774/student, just below New York's $12,325/student). Given Connecticut's strong test scores (off the National Center for Education Statistics and CT Dep. of Education websites), it seems markedly unfair for the federal government to insist that the state spend even more money to fix a system to implement further testing...especially since what's in place seems to be working relatively well. Students are meeting performance goals, and the achievement gap (both racial and socioeconomic) is decreasing.
The old saying comes to mind, "if it ain't broke...don't fix it." If the federal government is going to force Connecticut to fix a relatively unbroken system, the very least they can do is provide the money and resources necessary to make that a reality. Otherwise broad, underfunded federal mandates like NCLB will only serve to undermine state government authority over their own budgets and frustrate taxpayers. Hopefully, other states will follow Connecticut's example so that the Powers That Be in Washington realize that when it comes to educational problems, "one size fits all" solutions may not prove viable.
Fans of states' right, take note! A bold move taken today by the attorney general of Connecticut may force the federal government to ensure it has enough money budgeted to pay for national programs. The scenario in question centers around my favorite recent piece of federal legislation, the No Child Left Behind Act, which requires annual standardized testing to ensure students are meeting national education standards. The trouble is not with the intent of the law, which Blumenthal notes is laudable, but rather its lack of flexibility. In the case of Connecticut, for example, students have already been tested every alternate year beginning in 4th grade. The NCLB mandate for annual testing, along with targeted programs to help specific districts meet federal guidelines, will require an expenditure of $112 million, of which the federal government is only providing $71 million. So who pays for the remainder? Take a guess.
If you said the taxpayers of Connecticut, you'd be right. But puzzle this further. A quick visit to the NEA website indicates that Connecticut already pays its public school teachers the highest average salary in the country ($57,337/yr.) and the second highest per student public school expenditures ($11,774/student, just below New York's $12,325/student). Given Connecticut's strong test scores (off the National Center for Education Statistics and CT Dep. of Education websites), it seems markedly unfair for the federal government to insist that the state spend even more money to fix a system to implement further testing...especially since what's in place seems to be working relatively well. Students are meeting performance goals, and the achievement gap (both racial and socioeconomic) is decreasing.
The old saying comes to mind, "if it ain't broke...don't fix it." If the federal government is going to force Connecticut to fix a relatively unbroken system, the very least they can do is provide the money and resources necessary to make that a reality. Otherwise broad, underfunded federal mandates like NCLB will only serve to undermine state government authority over their own budgets and frustrate taxpayers. Hopefully, other states will follow Connecticut's example so that the Powers That Be in Washington realize that when it comes to educational problems, "one size fits all" solutions may not prove viable.
