ELCA News Blog
January 25, 2007
Lutheran educator joins call for changes in 'No Child Left Behind Law'
by John R. Brooks, ELCA News Service*
The Committee on Public Education and Literacy of the National Council of Churches USA (NCC) called for major changes and full funding of the "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB) law that members of the 110th U.S. Congress will consider for reauthorization. Donna Braband, director for schools, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Vocation and Education, co-signed the letter as a committee member.
"While we emphatically support the stated goals of NCLB ... we worry that the law has undermined education for our nation's most vulnerable children in big city districts," the NCC committee said in a letter to U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) and U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.), chairs of committees in their respective houses which will take up hearings on NCLB.
"As people of faith we are deeply concerned that what was proposed as a civil rights law has, in reality, undermined the capacity of demographically complex urban schools serving children living in concentrated poverty," said the 14 educators in their letter. The letter expressed solidarity with the goal of improving the nation's public schools but pointed to certain flaws in NCLB, including overemphasis on testing and scores.
The committee also restated its concern for children in the nation's public schools. "As people of faith, we do not view our children as products to be tested and managed but instead as unique human beings to be nurtured and educated," the committee wrote. "While we emphatically support improving public schools, we fear that the production target of 'all children proficient by 2014' is unrealistic."
* Based on a NCC news release.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org http://www.elca.org/news ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog