So Spanky, i'ma guessing NJNB is Running then?

Or is it Smiff 1?

No Child Left Behind

This is just something to distract Obama from the daily realities of his failures.

Isn't a sports team champion showing up anytime soon to the White House? At least Barack will get a jersey or something.

Barack has got to pack for Martha's Vineyard too.

In a bit of bad news, some GOP Representative was on one of those cable business shows, and he said he'd be willing to come back to Washington and "fix the economy". No, that's okay pal, take your vacation.

Thank goodness. Any change to Bush's No Child Left Behind has got to be an improvement.

The future growth (per S&P) of America will include better education of future generations, along with investment spending in job creation, which should start with infrastructure (also for future generations) that would not only create jobs but help stimulate the economy, and so forth...

The question is, has the GOP/TP learned a damn thing from the "Tea Party Downgrade?" Will they now give up their plan to bankrupt the country in their misguided quest to hold on to congressional seats and the long-shot of winning the White House? Will they appoint moderates to the commission, who will compromise and include revenues in decreasing the debt? Or will they continue hostage-taking for a ransom?

Stay tuned America...

So True Patriot you approve of the Pivot to Education? Yeah, it does seem like something Obama should focus on, right now.

Job creation starts with infrastructure? Really, based upon what? Please enlighten. And where will the money for the infrastructure? And here I was thinking the Stimulus, and all of its "shovel ready" jobs would have really kick started all of that. What happened there True Patriot?

Say you think we learned something from that? Like despite all the promises Obama spent a lot of that money on temporary propping up jobs, jobs that are going away? You know, no roads bridges or even wireless.

Oh and have you seen anything from anywhere about actually decreasing the debt? All I see is the chance of decreasing the amount of new debt, a totally different issue, no?

Spanky, do you support No Child Left Behind? Homey don't play that game until you answer this question directly.

No.

I think we need to get the education decisions made at a local level. Far too much bureaucracy and testing. Too much focus on class size and scores.

But really, with the information and technology available now, I'm not at all certain what the value of the education system, as it is currently configured is, or will be going forward.

As I recall the NCLB bill was passed or implemented with a lot of fan fare from all sides.

We have got to pivot to education. We need to teach kids critical thinking. There is no way out of the poverty without education or at least trade schools.

True Patriot, I doubt these tea people learn anything, like the interview I posted earlier with Bachmann her opinion trumped fact. In her mind just believing it made it true and don't confuse her with reality.

The scary part, they can do with just about any subject as we have witnessed here daily.

Ok, so now we "have got to pivot to education."

Fine, but man you all got to get on the same page American First. It was just this morning that it was JOBS, JOBS,JOBS.

Wait did Obama fix that already and now has all this time to devote to education? That's fantastic.

So you are saying I am incapable of learning anything, eh? Well, that may be, but I did learn that Obama and the dems don't have a clue about debt, so I [and AM] pulled out of the stock market.

So there is that one thing. Did yhou do that too AF?

Surprisingly, no matter what an administration decides to focus on there is always the other stuff you have to do too. The Secretary of Defense is also not focused on jobs today as it isn't his department (they even have DEPARTMENT in the name to show that they are discrete (that means SEPARATE) entities) and he has other things to be concerned about. So while the revelation that the Secretary of Education was doing education stuff today is surprising and apparently upsetting to some, it would surprise me if he wasn't.

Bunch of DEPARTMENTS deal with facilitating the PRIVATE sector's ability to create jobs. That's what they were probably up to today...most departments are staffed by career bureaucrats btw, not partisans...

NCLB was an example of Bush's "Compassionate Conservatism", which if proposed by the current President would be denounced as "Socialist government expansion" but the version that was passed was long on enforcement but short on funding. It's heart was in the right place though, like many other failed education plans. I give "W" credit for making it a bipartisan plan and making education a focus of his administration.

Missing the point dangerfield - none of the other departments came out last week and proclaimed "now that the debt ceiling has been raised I can focus on jobs."

Or did I miss Arnie Duncan or Leon Panetta, or Kathy Sebelius, or Ray Lahood, or anyone else say that?

Nope, just the one guy.

Or maybe I just missed Obama's supposed focus. Has he done anything, formulated a plan, or anything else? No, but he will be attending trow fundraisers tonight, so he is ensuring a cushy job for some catering companies and bar tenders. Oh, and don't forget about the limo drivers.

Thank you Spanky. So any additional debate is moot. Moving on...

Actually, you're the one who's missing the point of the article and my points too (I had somethin' nice to say about "W" because I don't want my liberal friends to feel left out.), but don't let me spoil your fun, albeit misguided and nonproductive fun.

This article is about revisions to NCLB...

Obama is trying to change the subject away from the S&P downgrade and the stock market free fall. Bait & switch.

Ya gotta watch em Spanky (True Patriot and Americans First)... if you start winning the argument, they will call you delusional after they can't come up with any more talking points. Then they will throw you on ignore... on que by Nasty Redwig. She seems to be the big kahuna of the liberals... calling the shots and ordering her minions around. I didn't realize she was the real queen bee of the liberals until yesterday. Anything she says, goes. She says jump, they cower and say how high. They are actually afraid of her.

I've been coming to these boards for over a year and never witnessed a spectacle like I did yesterday. She snapped her whip... and they actually bowed to her....

Moving on...

BREAKING NEWS:

In the address, the president said we must now reform the tax code and make modest changes to entitlements. Cantor said they’ll get cuts in entitlements without an increase in revenues. Wow, just wow! The president’s starting point is to offer changes to entitlements, and Cantor’s it to take the olive branch and run as fast as they can without making any concession.

S&P went too far, but they are right about the GOP/TP not being serious about debt reduction. And as we come to the end of the day...

Wisconsin Recall Election --

Koch Brothers Engaging In 'Scheme To Suppress Votes'

The Democratic Party of Wisconsin filed a complaint(PDF) with the Government Accountability Board alleging that Koch the brothers-funded, Americans for Prosperity political action committee is trying to suppress Democratic votes in the upcoming Republican recall elections.

Politico originally reported that Americans for Prosperity sent out absentee ballots to two districts in the Senate recall election with a printed deadline date of "before August 11." But in reality, the deadline for absentee ballots is tomorrow, August 4. The election is August 9.

I understand they also sent out ballots with an incorrect return address. They claimed it was a typo. Right, as Stephen Colbert pointed out, it's understandable because the numbers 4 and 9 are next to each other on a keyboard (not).

They can't take your heart, they can't take your soul, and they can't take your vote. We are behind you progressives, may the winds of change be with you!

Wouldn't it be interesting if at a time that it would be ecomomically expedient to lift the Busch tax cuts on the rich that S&P would come out with a report downgrading credit for our nation and in conjunction the filthy rich 1% of our citizens largely pulled out of the market to cause distrust by those of us who don't have squat to be investing in the stock market to turn against policy reformers. People like Spanky who can't afford to take those risks in the first place. Umm. That what kind of thought process comes out of a good education. If these peopole were intersted in job creation they should have done it by now.

Getting people who can afford it to pay taxes they would otherwise pay is not tax increase it's paying what you owe.

I wouldn't, but it is a corporate seeding and thus I reveal my answer to the "crisis"...

http://socrates1.newsvine.com/_news/2011/08/03/7242156-saving-the-us-economy-my-view

Truth -- good points. Investors are fleeing Corporate America and running to the government to invest in...Treasury Bonds! As for the punk who claims to be so investment savvy, I doubt he owns an RV and boat. It's probably just a van down by the river.

In the meantime, the Tea Party has proudly taken ownership of the term "Tea Party Downgrade." They not only cheered at the damage to America, they are still in favor of never raising the debt ceiling. They are worse than old dogs that can't learn new tricks. It's time to put them down (one just soiled his britches).

(And a correction, the deadline of the 4th versus the 11th -- that's even farther apart on the keyboard.)

You can not trust these Koch Brothers. Someday they should go to jail.

True - no child left behind is a great example of a noble concept that became burdened down with wasteful regulatory rules and wasteful spending. It needs to be eliminated. With regards to your "breaking news" obama mentioned in his speech earlier today that the WH was also going to work on a plan for addressing the AAA downgrade. It will be interesting to see if eh will have the numbers downon paper or if he will carry on with rhetoric only?

BTW true with the obama (bush) tax cuts expiring in less than 17 months why is there a need to require increased taxes?

AF - and your critical thinking skills should serve as an example? ROTFLMAO!

Here's an idea-

Since ever since its inception, the DoE has overseen a drop in test scores, proficiency, and, in many cases, graduation rates-

SHUT IT DOWN. Can all those bureaucrats, cut off the "research" spigot, and let each state use what funds are in the pipeline as block grants- until those funds run out. Then CUT that amount from the budget, and have done with it.

What is it about liberals that they must, always, double down on failure?

"It might be about time that we turn education back over to the actual educators?"

Of course, Anna means by "actual educators", crooked politicized unions who loot the public treasury and could care less about the children.

The Obama Department of Education has failed miserably, along with our unionized public education system. They failed the children!

Their solution? Hide the evidence, no more tough exams or tests.

First of all, I'm trying very hard to see where I doubled down on failure. I have always opposed NCLB, and I'm not enthusiastic about the President's idea, either. I am always on the side of the kids. But as an educator by training, myself, I find this constant lurching from one fad theory to another to accomplish nothing but give Ph.D. candidates something to write their dissertations about and administrators something to justify their high salaries.

Ironically, many of them got into administration only because they couldn't cut it as teachers.

Surprisingly, though, and even though I totally disagree with him, I have no interest at all in contending with Bob. I'm done with fighting. And besides, I'm sure he's worn out from his date with Michele Bachmann.

Or was that Marcus? Or maybe a threesome. I get so confused.

Anyway. From now on, no more fighting .... and No Civility Left Behind. Promise. ;-)

I'm not falling for it AnnaM, you libbie terrorist hostage taking puppy hater.

Now this is my exercising restraint [I know, rigght?]. I will. Not . Comment. About. Threesomes.

Wouldn't be prudent.

Spanky won't comment about threesomes unless he is one of the three is what he means. And Anna does like kitties. Don't you Anna?

It is pretty clear that Obama is leaving behind children, but not his political allies in those states responsible for overseeing that the children left behind can pass reasonable, measurable tests, which can be compared nationwide so there remains at least an attempt to keep education levels in this country consistent no matter the state, school district, or neighborhood. Every move Obama makes is a calculated political move to strengthen his existing political base (because it is fleeting) in order that he can keep his job another four years. Otherwise he might just be collecting the unemployment he keeps authorizing despite having no money to pay for it. To see it any other way is pure ignorance. It is clear that Obama's presidency has fallen short of many people's expectations including his own party members. The sad thing is he continues to campaign when he should be doing a president's job, which includes doing what is best for the nation and not himself or any one party. He should strive to exit gracefully so he does not get shuffled among the worst in history. My bet is he will not and will prove to the world that he bit of more than he could chew - outstanding politician? Yes. Good person? Yes. Good senator? Maybe. Good President? I think not.

Big kitties, kirby. The bigger the better.

But I do love puppies, too. Sorry, Spanky.

Good call about the threesomes, though. Bob wouldn't like your muscling in on his deal with Michele.

After all, he already feels inadequate around Marcus. Imagine what adding you to that group would do to the poor old guy. I'm afraid he would be done for. Sigh.

You mean like lions and tigers and bears, oh my? I can't have a kitty here because the foxes come down from the foothills and eat them.

Would but that we could train the foxes to eat politicians.

My goodness you guys are making me blush. NCLB is a terrible program. It was from the beginning and I would love to see it shut down. Teachers lose all their creativity when being forced to teach a test. I have several teacher friends that hate it. I am a former high school teacher and thank goodness I didn't have to deal with anything like that in my classes. There's nothing worse for a teacher to be boxed in. In many cases, children who couldn't get the material were left behind... because teachers have too many things to go over because of the test. I wish the federal government would get out of many things like this program. Our education system is messed up enough for the feds to restrain the educational process.

Just like, kirby. Oh, my. Gotta love those great bears.

Brian ~ excellent observations. Didn't know you were a high school teacher. Something we have in common.

Teachers get it, but unfortunately, the public has been conditioned not to trust them anymore.

p.s. Blushing can be good for you. Depending on where. ;-)

Yes, where I went camping recently there were signs everywhere about bears and how to avoid them. I just hoped they could read the signs as well. They are beautiful, ferocious critters. But not the Chicago Bears. I don't much like them

And blushing is fun, Anna. You have made me blush even through my olive complexion.

You'll have to expound on the correct places to blush Anna. My imagination only takes me so far... (smile)

Yeah, I was a high school SPED teacher but I also had college bound students in my class. I know sounds strange. I taught a class called Building Trades. For the regular ed students it was an elective and for the SPED students it was part of their core curriculum. My students ranged from 15 to 18 years old. The class was part of a magnet program and most of my students were bussed in just for my class. I loved it. We would build 14' x 30' portable classrooms and the students got hands on, practical experience with tools, safety, building procedures and building science. We averaged 6 portables a year. My average class size was 15... which was totally manageable and it gave me plenty of time to make sure they could handle all the tasks it takes to frame and finish the buildings.

The only reason I'm not doing it still is because the Louisiana department of education, in their infinite wisdom, decided to shut down all the vocational programs in the state. The only ones they kept were industrial arts... and I wasn't interested in teaching that.

We definitley gotta get these coprate agenda out of the running of major institutions. Education is one of a nations best and greatest ways to improve it;s standing in the world. I would love to hear your ideas on how to bring about key reforms in our educational systems. I did note that my childrens curricullum was purely test driven during their school years. i was taught in many non conventional settings when I grew up, and find this type of curriculum very disturbing. My third grade teacher would turn our learning into games and encouraged teamwork by offering things such as extra recess. For instance learning times tables was fun we'd study each set go home and practice them and then assemble teams in front of the chalk board and the ones who finished theirs first got ice cream or extra recess. She created a way that we would help each other of coarse you wsanted to win. I had other teachers who seemed to recognize that if you could get a few kids to understand a topic you could get them to help you teach the others because kids speak the same language. I've done this many times as a student to brigde gaps in the classroom.

Key reforms should include focusing on Reading, Writing and Arithmetic. Stop focusing on social skills. The children are missing a lot of the basics in the early years when they are most impressionable. You have no idea how much basic math I had to teach in my high school program. I realize that some of the students were SPED, but they had very cognitive thinking processes. Spending the necessary time to instruct these students on the basics actually turned on the light bulbs over their heads. I never taught a test. I would instruct, go over many examples and when I tested, I used none of the examples. Just using basic principles of explanation and showing them the processes worked very well... kinda like what was done in my youth. It worked back then and it worked when I taught.

It's not in the way most teachers teach... it's the government regulations on what MUST be taught. Teaching a test is not teaching... it's mostly memorization and a lot of guesswork if the concepts aren't understood. Conceptual understanding goes a lot further than memorization alone. The government doesn't understand this... their solution - teach a test... Make them robots.

Umm, yeah, today might not be the best day to cheerleader for Obama, or is it you own no stocks or a 401k.

And how about your boss Elise? He looking over you shoulder? Are you being responsible right now?

Here's the problem, Eliae-

On any day, on any problem, Obama fails.

That's not JS1's fault-

It's Obama's.

Deal with it.

No, I think it may be Elise's boss' fault.

Every day in every way. But there's always tomorrow. He did just pivot to jobs.

Wait, what was this article about again?

Yes kirby the federal dept of education is a bloated duplication of what the states can do better. I could easily see it reduced in size to perhaps 100 people to create national education goals for the states to achieve before they receive federal funding. You know, show us the results and we will show you the money.

Beat me to it....Dismantle the Dept. of Ed.

Alot of waste in Washington DC on programs such as the War on Drugs, War on Poverty, as well unnecessary spending Defense programs that they themselves say are waste of taxpayers monies, or that on corn subsidies which has aided in higher food costs or how about the wasted in corporate welfare to companies like Fox, Exxon-Mobile, GE, or Big Pharma etc. etc. etc. .... How about stop wasting money with these "initiatives" and "corporate handouts" -- and then see where the debt is? (just a thought) ......

gksden - best to make cuts accross the board on discretionary programs first, followed by tax reform and then carry over to entitlement reform. Accross the board cuts are needed to eliminate the arguments of "cut that program, but not mine". Aftere all isn't that what a balanced approach should be?

I think the general convention is that it's a lot easier to screw something up than it is to fix it. And I'm sure that the President would be more than willing to take responsibility for the outcome of his policies if any of his policies had been enacted without being severely compromised by the intransigence of the opposition party. You can lay responsibility for the problems at the White House doorstep if you like but you can't change the reality of the current state of this union. We are a house broken in two and, right now, one sides idea of breaching the divide is by trying to set fire to the other so we all have to jump over to keep from being burned.

W. Bush?

absolutely right, those Tea Party people are responsible, as they have sent conservatives to run congress for most of the last 50 years!!!!

how dare they!

Jody, for once I agree with you, at least on the first part of your post. NCLB as a concept is entirely logical but, like most government programs, it was poorly administered. We do need to re-establish basic proficiency levels for reading and math. They are critical life skills and it's nearly impossible to hold any job without them. It used to be you couldn't move from one grade to the next until you could demonstrate a grasp of the basics for your grade level, then we started worrying more about keeping kids with their peer groups so they wouldn't feel bad about themselves rather than worrying about whether they'd acquired the tools needed to achieve in the next grade level. This is where our education system went off the tracks. How many of you have bosses who care if you feel bad about yourself when you don't do your job well? By passing kids along to save their self esteem we are setting them up for failure as adults- the real world doesn't care how good you feel about yourself but it does care that you can read a job application or street sign and make change or calculate a simple tip. Without those skills you hardly qualify for a job at McDonald's and there's no way to really advance into fields that actually allow you to thrive instead of just survive. To me, the waivers from NCLB's requirements are just another symptom of the problem. When it's too hard to meet the goals set, we lower the bar instead of demanding improvement. Yes, the program itself was poorly implemented, but the end result is still necessary. Without creating a situation where teachers are only able to teach to the test, we need to find a way to arm kids with the basic skills they need moving forward.

The only thing I would really disagree with is the funding issue- I don't think that we have a lack of funding, even at the reduced levels that are going on now- we still spend more per student than nearly every other country in the world. I agree that we have a lack of funding to the classrooms but that seems, to me, to be more a problem of distribution. We don't need dozens of six-figure salaried administrators in every district who do little to impact the actual classroom education of students, we need five-figure salaried teachers to do the real work. We don't need a massive Education Department at the federal level that siphons off funds for more administration at the federal level, we need that money going to the classroom so that books, technology, basic supplies and other things are available for the teachers do to their jobs. So I don't think that the amount of funding is the issue so much as where the funding is going.