Biggert to host forum on No Child Left Behind

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www.suburbanchicagonews.com/napervillesun/news/366164,6_1_NA02_NCLB_S1.article

Biggert to host forum on No Child Left Behind

May 2, 2007
sun staff
U.S. Rep. Judy Biggert will return to Naperville on Friday to host a community forum on federal No Child Left Behind legislation, and she's inviting the public to join her.

Biggert, a leading member of the House Education and Labor Committee, is hosting the forum to solicit feedback and recommendations on the No Child Left Behind Act, which Congress will consider reauthorizing this summer.

The forum will give parents, educators and the public an opportunity to express their views on the implementation of the law, and its impact in the classroom to Biggert, as well as to representatives from the U.S. Department of Education and U.S. House Education and Labor Committee. Darlene Ruscitti, DuPage regional superintendent of education; Paul Kimmelman, a senior adviser with Learning Point Associates; and Mike Skarr, president of the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce, also will be on hand.

The forum runs from 2:30 to 4 p.m. Friday in the council chambers at the Municipal Center, 400 S. Eagle Street.

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No Child Left Behind:Teachers voice their questions, concerns

May 6, 2007
By Paige Winfield Staff Writer
Naperville educators had a chance to ask their questions about the No Child Left Behind Act at a forum hosted Friday by U.S. Rep. Judy Biggert, R-Hinsdale.

Inquiries ranging from how NCLB can increase parental involvement in schools to how it can improve math and science education were answered by a nine-member panel of federal and local officials.

First passed in 2001, NCLB is due for re-authorization this year. Controversy about the act's effectiveness continues to rage as Congress considers major revisions that would give schools greater freedom from federal controls.

"While NCLB's successes should be commended, I've heard a number of concerns about its consequences," Biggert said.
As the only Illinois Republican on the House Workforce and Education Committee, Biggert has solicited feedback and fielded questions from educators in a series of NCLB forums over the past month.

NCLB aims to increase the standards of accountability for schools by federally mandated standardized testing.

Supporters say the education reform act offers parents greater educational options for their children and helps close the achievement gap between minority and white students. But critics say the testing mandates push teachers to prepare students for passing the tests, rather than focusing on a deeper understanding of subjects.

Differentiating among schools that don't make their annual targeted progress and incorporating growth models that measure individual students from year to year will be two of the biggest changes to NCLB, Biggert said.

Panel member Darlene Ruscitti named some shortfalls of NCLB that she has observed as regional superintendent of the DuPage Regional Office of Education.

She says a lack of flexibility for schools trying to meet testing requirements, as well as a narrow focus on basic subjects such as math and reading, are some problems that need to be addressed.

And as always, parents need to be more directly involved.

"As we move toward corrective action and restructuring, how can we communicate that to our parents?" Ruscitti said.


Scores not rising at older levels

Elementary schools have made the most progress toward meeting the requirements of NCLB, said panel member Holly Kuzmich, director of education and human resources policy for the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee.
"In middle and high schools, our achievement is not going up," she said. "We need more help in that area."

About 70 percent of schools nationwide are meeting the NCLB targets, but one-third of all students still fail to finish high school, Kuzmich said. And the math and science scores of American students continue to fall behind those of their European and Asian counterparts.

"Internationally, we need to do a better job," Kuzmich said. "We need to make sure we're keeping up."

Contact Paige Winfield at [e-mail] or 630-416-5275.