Readine$$ and $upport

For many who are outside of the public school system the No Child Left Behind Act appears to be a wonderful piece of legislation that was set forth to hold school systems and those who work in them accountable for their students’ performance. For many inside the public school system the No Child Left Behind Act is a not so wonderful piece of legislation that places students’ performance on mathematics and language arts assessments beyond all else. Those who work in Massachusetts Public Schools are reminded increasingly as the time approaches that all students must be passing these all important tests by the year 2014.

So, the goal is set. By the year 2014 we are aiming to have each and every student reach the level of “Proficient” on their MCAS examinations and that is that, right? The dialogue among teachers and administrators does not shed a promising light on attaining this goal. I have heard this goal be referred to as impossible, absurd, unattainable, illogical, and many more words that I do not care to type. The truth is that those of us who are in education for the right reasons…those of us to got into this business with the intent of being part of a system that makes our world a better place really, really, really wants to obtain this goal. For if we obtain the goal of 100% proficiency – then we know that we are doing our jobs and that we are doing them well…..at least with regard to our students passing tests.

Then we have our mixed messages. On October 8, 2009 Governor Patrick announced the creation of “Readiness Centers” to support our educators. These centers have been created with the intent of improving education by providing teachers and administrators with access to proven instructional practices, and focused professional development to support what is taking place in the classroom. What a novel idea, and kudos to the Patrick Administration for taking the time and energy to realize that teachers cannot be excellent teachers without support. Now that I think about it, just the same as our students need support from their teachers and their families, and our teachers need the support of their administrators through professional development, administrators and school systems need support too!

The question is will the positive impact of the Readiness Centers be overshadowed by an inability to support our educational system with proper funding for our teachers, facilities, and students? Our government passed the No Child Left Behind Act, our government demands all students reach the level of “Proficient” on state examinations by 2014, and our government created Readiness Centers to help us make this so. Today it is hard for me to fathom that this is the same government that could soon reduce the funding that our school district receives to educate our students. A piece of legislation and a Readiness Center will not be enough to reach our 2014 goal. We need our teachers, we need our transportation, and we need our professional development. We won’t be able to get this done without proper $upport.