No Child Left Behind

[Ponine]

However, states and districts indicate they do not have the capacity or the funds necessary to reach all schools in need of improvement, and while most officials surveyed generally agree with the law’s emphasis on accountability for all student subgroups, a majority say they would like to see the accountability requirements for students with disabilities and ELL students changed or eliminated. Officials also cite problems in implementing school choice and supplemental education services.

The schools come from approximately 15-20 percent of all districts though the highest concentrations are in very large and urban districts. In addition, states now face the additional responsibility of carrying out sanctions for about 10 percent of Title I school districts identified for improvement under NCLB at the start of the 2004-05 school year, some of which may have missed AYP requirements for subgroups too small to be counted at the school level.

Let me attempt tackle these two paragraphs. I feel like poo poo.. but I will tackle these before I go lay down.
For us, in the districts, and the teachers and the admin, and prob very similar to GD's parents.. its a fine line between making a difference and running four your lives.
You can have a school that had jsut now been designated as aTitle 1 program improvement school for 05/06. Why is it now Program Improvement? Becuase one sub group, which has to have at least I think 50 kids to be a sub group, didnt preform up to snuff. Or didnt improve.
One group.. english learners, learning disabled, K's... that one group, puts the whole school into that name.
Now, on one hand thats fine. They get some attention. On the other hand that's bad.
The parents whom send their children, or will, to this school in 05/06 are notified that their school is now program improvement, and they have the option to move their children to another school.
Great.. so the families with the abilites to take their children elsewhere, will. Leaving behind the kids who might not have the parent support, and I feel thereby, decreasing the schools chances to get out of T1:PI.

If they eliminate the accountibility for the disabitlies and the (ELL) English learners, that may eliminate most of the problems. But, they have to make that choice first.
Its hard for the teachers and the admin. They are told WHAT they can spend thier classromm funds on, and its a very limited scope. THey have to bring those ELL and other kids up to PAR with the other kids in their class. So while tommy may be gifted, he is left to work on his own, because the teacher needs to work with Michael's developing English skills so that he can pass the tests.
It's put a whole other focus on teaching. And the teachers are the ones paying the price, and not truly being able to do what they signed on for when they went to college thinking they wanted to be a teacher.

I'm sick.. i need to go to bed and not ramble.