VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS 01/08/07)-On this, the fifth anniversary of President Bush signing the No Child Left Behind Act, National Ministries, American Baptist Churches USA has joined with 100 national civil rights, education, religious, and disability organizations calling for major changes to the law.
No Child Left Behind is scheduled for Congressional reauthorization during the term of Congress that began January 4, 2007. The concerned groups have released a Joint Organizational Statement that urges a change in the law's emphasis "from applying sanctions for failing to raise test scores to holding states and localities accountable for making the systemic changes that improve student achievement." National Ministries is one of more than 20 religious organizations, including American Baptist Women's Ministries, endorsing the statement.
"Demonstrating broad concern across America's demographic groups and throughout many sectors of American life, the 100 signing organizations share by consensus a belief that NCLB is fraying our social fabric by undermining an institution we all value; public schools are, after all, where we shape the future of 90 percent of American children," says Jan Resseger, National Council of Churches' Public Education and Literacy Committee chair, and minister for Public Education and Witness in the United Church of Christ. "Signing organizations are especially concerned that the schools being most severely punished by NCLB's sanctions are the schools serving our nation's poorest children."
Curtis Ramsey-Lucas, National Ministries' national coordinator of Public and Social Advocacy, echoes these sentiments: "It is imperative that we work to address present inequities in the quality of education children receive; otherwise, we will have little impact on the poverty that touches the lives of so many in our society. The Joint Organizational Statement offers a constructive critique of No Child Left Behind. The changes it recommends offer a way forward in fulfilling the law's objectives of strong academic achievement for all children and closing the achievement gap."
In addition to National Ministries, American Baptist Churches USA, these religious organizations have endorsed the statement:
American Baptist Women's Ministries Church Women United Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism Council for Hispanic Ministries, UCC Disciples Home Missions Disciples Justice Action Network The Episcopal Church Ministers for Racial, Social and Economic Justice, UCC National Baptist Convention USA National Council of Churches USA National Council of Jewish Women Presbyterian Church (USA) Progressive National Baptist Convention Protestants for the Common Good Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund United Black Christians, UCC United Church of Christ Justice and Witness Ministries United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society Women's Division of the General Board of Global Ministries, United Methodist Church Women of Reform Judaism
The Joint Organization Statement outlines 14 recommended changes to NCLB that include:
* Replacing over-reliance on standardized tests with the use of multiple achievement measures in order to provide a more comprehensive picture of student and school performance;
* Supplanting arbitrary proficiency targets with ambitious achievement targets based on rates of success actually achieved by the most effective public schools;
* Increasing NCLB funding to cover a substantial percentage of the costs that states and districts will incur to carry out the recommendations.
For a complete text of the Joint Organizational Statement, including the 14 recommended changes and a current list of endorsing organizations, visit the new Forum for Educational Accountability Web site at www.edaccountability.org.
Since Children in Poverty was named a denominational initiative of American Baptist Churches USA by the General Board in June 2005, National Ministries has identified public education as the initiative's initial priority, because of public education's role as the primary route for most children-especially children of poverty-into full participation in the economic, political and community life of our society.
NCLB offers an excellent opportunity for American Baptist regions, churches and individuals to get involved in the Children in Poverty initiative by following up with governmental representatives to share concerns as outlined in the Joint Organizational Statement.
Andrew C. Jayne American Baptist Churches, USA Mission Resource Development http://www.abc-usa.org/