Teachers of the Year Call for Changes to NCLB

WASHINGTON -- One day after meeting with President Bush at the White House to celebrate their selections as state Teachers of the Year, more than two dozen of the educators organized a press conference on the so-called No Child Left Behind law to call for significant changes as the law heads for debate in Congress.

Fifty of the 56 state Teachers of the Year issued a joint statement April 27 detailing the flaws in the federal law and endorsed a 10-point platform to attempt to mold the federal government's practices into an effective force in the classroom. 

The top three recommendations are full funding of federal mandates, a growth model to assess student progress, and multiple methods of evaluating student achievement.

The full set of recommendations is:

1. Fully fund all education and assessment programs that are federally mandated.
2. Allow all states to utilize a growth model for measuring individual student achievement over time.
3. Use multiple methods of assessment to evaluate student learning accurately and report the results to the public.
4. Include language that appropriately addresses the unique needs of students with exceptionalities (disabilities as well as gifts and talents) while continuing to set high standards for all students.
5. Provide assessment information to teachers in a timely manner and professional development in effectively utilizing such information, so that it can inform instruction that will improve teaching and learning.
6. Evaluate current sanctions for failing Adequate Yearly Progress and replace then with proven methods of enhancing achievement.
7. Develop and fund programs that promote meaningful parent and family engagement.
8. Modify assessments and set realistic goals for English Language Learners.
9. Ensure every student is taught by a Highly Effective Teacher who receives ongoing professional development.
10. Include programs for school leadership development that addresses the need for administrators to become instructional leaders who conduct regular classroom observations and provide productive feedback to teachers.

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Video of the press conference. (Windows Media Player)