Tell Congress: Student Needs, Not Testing, Should Be The Priority!
In 1965 when President Lyndon Johnson, a former teacher, first signed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), better known today as No Child Left Behind, he envisioned the law as a part of the national War of Poverty, confident that it would help more kids get access to a great education.President Johnson probably never imagined that fifty years later schools would still be segregated by race and income or that a majority of all public school students would qualify for free-and-reduced price lunch at school. In recent years, ESEA has gotten off track. Our lawmakers have started pushing high-stakes testing and school accountability instead of focusing on how we can meet the needs all our students in an age of rising inequality.
Today, Congress is talking about reauthorizing ESEA, and our lawmakers need your help to get the discussion back on track.
Our kids don't need more standardized tests. Our educators don't want to spend more money on consultants and test vendors or waste time on test prep. Our kids deserve more instructional time, wraparound supports and up-to-date classroom materials – the kinds of things that actually help students learn.
Tell your members of Congress that student needs must be the priority in ESEA reauthorization - not more testing!
It’s time to let go of the bubble tests. Here’s what Congress should prioritize instead:
- Fund universal access to early education
- Require states to adopt fair school funding systems so schools can provide students with a well-rounded curriculum and a full spread of wraparound services like health clinics, college counselors, and after school enrichment programs.
- Ensure quality teaching delivered by committed, respected and supported educators (not an intern with only five weeks of training from Teach for America)
- Make schools places that inspire natural curiosity and imagination, not ‘bubble in the right answer’ factories
- Support improving schools in all neighborhoods so students have a high quality school close to Tell Congress: Student Needs, Not Testing, Should Be The Priority!: