Climb Out of the Five-and-Dime Hole

Abstract

Too far and high and deep ain't much for me, says a well-known country tune, because too much ain't enough for an old five and dimer like me. Unfortunately, flying high has ended in a crash landing for public schools in lots of ways, and they may be grateful for returning to small change. In spring 2007, states were far and high, averaging revenues that were 10% over budget estimates. A year later, the National Conference of State Legislatures predicted troubles ahead, and this fall the numbers began rolling in from all parts of the country--a $1 billion shortfall in Arizona, up to $3 billion less than expected in Virginia, and a half-billion-dollar cut in California's budget with more to come. Besides the economy, add No Child Left Behind to the mix. After at least two furious years of discussion, debate, and recommendations on changing NCLB, politicians and policy makers barely mentioned the law in the last few months. Or, perhaps politicians were more prescient than we thought. When a policy is not working and requires total revision, the issue may be complex for campaign rhetoric. The reality is that NCLB's punitive approach has failed. As many experts on accountability predicted years ago, the unrealistic goal of every child proficient in reading and math by 2014 would result in most public schools not making Adequate Yearly Progress. This fall, Massachusetts reported that half of its schools had failed to meet AYP, up from 37% last year. Unlike many states, Massachusetts has kept its standards and expectations high. Other states often look good on AYP because they have watered down standards or passing scores, but even this move will fail as the targets in their state plans reach the balloon years. Nationally, the number of schools not meeting AYP was up 50% last year compared to the year before, according to the Center for Education Policy. In California, the center's study found that 4,500 of the state's 6,000 Title I schools were in program improvement, and 1,000 schools have reached the end of their five-year limit on making AYP. No state has figured out what to do at this point. Some of NCLB's remedies, such as changing persistently failing schools into charter schools, are dramatic flourishes that have not improved achievement, according to Jack Jennings, CEP's president. Instead of shaking up schools, he says, policy makers should focus on the one proven reform--teacher quality. Another, little-noticed effect of NCLB is that it has thrown cold water on innovation in policies or practices. At a forum sponsored by the W.T. Grant Foundation earlier this year, an official of the U.S. Department of Education and school officials and researchers sparred over NCLB's impact on creative approaches to improving student achievement. School people said the limits on research strategies, high stakes for performance, and short time available to meet requirements made it difficult to risk new ideas or those requiring a lot of time to implement. In the nickel-and-dime environment that will continue for several months or even years, where can policy makers find room for innovation and investments other than in absolute basics? Luckily, there are hopeful developments in an area long neglected by the White House--career and technical education. …