No Child Left Behind Scandal Widens
EmailA scathing report issued today documents "substantial financial ties" between key advisors of Reading First, a controversial federal reading grant program, and publishers who benefited from the program. The report, issued by Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, called the findings "troublesome because they diminish the integrity of the Reading First program." Reading First is a multi-billion-dollar program meant to boost literacy among low-income children that was adopted as part of No Child Left Behind in 2001. THE BLOTTER RECOMMENDS Blotter Troubled Reading Program Draws Heat From Congress Blotter Study: Bias by the Billions in Flawed Ed Program Click Here to Check Out Brian Ross Slideshows The Kennedy report centers on four directors of the Reading First Technical Assistance Centers, who, the report says, were highly influential in advising states on which reading programs to adopt in order to qualify for federal funds. According to the report, the directors had "extensive ties with education publishers" at the same time they were responsible for evaluating other publishers’ programs. The report concluded that such ties may have "improperly influenced actions." Dr. Edward Kame’enui, the director of the Western Technical Assistance Center, was found to have received more than $400,000 from publisher Scott Foresman after authoring a reading program that was widely adopted by schools under Reading First. While acting as a Reading First director, Kame’enui’s contract with Scott Foresman required him to attend and speak at "a minimum of six sales-related workshops or presentations per year" on behalf of the publisher. Dr. Kame’enui declined to talk to ABC News but acknowledged in a recent House hearing that he was on the Scott Foresman payroll while advising states on Reading First. Today’s report follows six investigations by the Department of Education’s inspector general that found bias, mismanagement and conflicts of interest in the implementation of Reading First. House Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller, D-Calif., has called for a criminal investigation of Reading First by the Justice Department. According to Miller, the conflicts of interest uncovered "raises questions about criminal activity and criminal intent about what a number of these players were doing."
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The Federal Gov’t.-should not be
involved in the (states) education system.
The:”Fed.-”Dept Of Education”-should be (closed).
Posted by: John N.Victorine | May 9, 2007, 10:40 pm 10:40 pm
Crony Capitalism –
Is anyone that surprised that in the current adminstration, (apparently) four foxes were hired to guard the henhouse! If these reports are true, Dr. Kame’enui and friends should be fired for conflict of interest! Potential criminal charges should be considered against him for claiming “objectivity” when what he was doing was just acting as an old-fashioned snake-oil salesman for an education company. More importantly, some independent investigators should re-exam the validity of the claims for teaching reading via only their one approved method — as opposed to a mix that includes the skills and strengths of the individual teacher! I wonder if these independent investigators will find that they’re reinventing the typewriter — again!
JVK
Posted by: JVK | May 10, 2007, 2:03 am 2:03 am
You speak of “No Child Left Behind” law but I am a low income single mother who has a 16 year old son, who has to attend summer-school. I am unable to pay the $400.00 for his summer-school tuition I live in Matteson IL. ; I’m so scared that if I don’t get the financial help I need to keep him caught-up in high-school I’ll loose him. Please I’m begging for the “No Child Left Behind” law to help me save my child.
Posted by: Kimberly Bennett | May 10, 2007, 1:19 pm 1:19 pm
Kimberly,
Information on NCLB can be found on the US Dept of Ed website . There is information that can help you, and is given on a state by state basis. There’s even information on financial assistance. Check it out…
Not sure if your specific situation has anything to do with this story, though. This is about educational material and program vendors getting special treatment, that’s all.
And from what I’ve experienced, school performance often has little to do with any sort of funding or resources; it has more to do with the student’s willingness to get involved in studying and passing, and in many cases, the parent’s inability to foster or encourage their children’s learning, for whatever reason…
Posted by: Jazz | May 10, 2007, 2:46 pm 2:46 pm
Jazz,
Excellent post / advice.
Posted by: Gary J | May 10, 2007, 3:58 pm 3:58 pm
Are you just now aware that every child is being left behind? that is unless you home school or are sending your kids to a private school. The public dumb down schools are graduating our future idiots. public schools only require you attend school to graduate. learning, yea right!
Posted by: JB | May 10, 2007, 5:30 pm 5:30 pm
Not really, JB…I mean, I’m sure there’s a wide range of quality in teaching across the board from NYC to Des Moines, but your general blanket statement just isn’t true.
There are PLENTY of kids in the PS system who are either dropping out or failing out, and not getting a free ride based on attendance alone…
Posted by: Jazz | May 10, 2007, 5:55 pm 5:55 pm
With all due respect to the ‘Kimberly’s” of the world: My son is 6 years old and I work with him nearly everday because his reading level is “14″ where he should be reading at level “18″ at his school but even at 6 yrs it sounds like he’s reading better than your 16 year old. Okay, the school has failed but frankly you have failed him as well! Before you think I’m some rich white guy and “that’s easy for you to say” consider this… I make 3,500$ a year LESS than the avg American teacher. I bet you have spent your whole life voting for the party that has stood in the way of school vouchers… vouchers would have benefited your son… and mine! You’ve made your own bed… stop whining. Besides that, he’s 16! Make him earn the $400 cutting grass on the weekend or cooking burgers at the local fast food joint.
Posted by: Gary McKeel | May 11, 2007, 9:57 am 9:57 am
Gary, I see your point, but really, you don’t know this woman, her child, or her circumstances, so your judgement is not based on anything but your imagination. “sounds like he’s reading better than your 16 year old.” C’mon, how do you know? How do you know her son is struggling in reading and not math, or any other subjects?
You don’t know her political bent; you don’t know who she votes for (or the issues – vouchers vs PS funding). You’re just reaching, man.
And, although you make a great point about the son getting a job to get the $400, which is a great idea, Kimberly, there is one thing you left out in your post.
Her son is a teenager, whom she is raising by herself. MUCH MUCH different than a 6 year old. I have a teenage son, and let me tell you this – there is a world of difference between your cartoon watching, daddy hugging, the-world-is-fine 6 year old and a [possible] rebellious, maybe confused and unfocused, hormonal teenager. Just try to see things from other perspectives.
Compassion and understanding, my friend, compassion and understanding…
Posted by: Jazz | May 11, 2007, 11:33 am 11:33 am
You show me 10 kis that just graduated, high school, take away their cell phones, calculators, palm pilot, laptops, and out of that 10, Two might be able to use a pen and paper to fiqure a math problem or to give a little knowledge on history, or the VP is! Even Rush Limbaugh calls public schools, “screwalls”
Posted by: JB | May 11, 2007, 11:37 am 11:37 am
Jazz,
I was speaking to THE KIMBERLY’S of the world, not specifically to this one as you are correct I do not know her specific plight but I do know folks that are in those positions due to their OWN bad decisions in life. One has to take responsibility for the failure of the school and for their own failures… THAT is real compassion! My kid would read far worse if I did not personally spend hours reading to him and having him read back. I consider it my responsibility to lead in his education and it is the responsibility of all parents to do so. Life is tough! It would be so much easier for me not to spend the time working with him and blame his poor reading on the school… way too many parents do. If more parents voted for politicians who supported vouchers, ALL of our kids would be better educated and less responsibility would be on the parents… who often skirt the responsibility. REAL compassion is demanding high performance from your kids and working the hours to help them achieve… not making excuses for the failed schools… we all know they aren’t too great.
Posted by: Gary McKeel | May 11, 2007, 12:02 pm 12:02 pm
BUT IF WE TEACH THE CHILDREN…
how will we, the GOP, supply ourselves with the cheap labor for which we plot? Educated people question religon, they don’t act like sheeple, they listen to many news sources and make up their own minds, they are not easy to lead, they question authority, they don’t need Daddy Dubya, they don’t work at Walmart, they organize for livable wages and health care, they don;t blindly accept poor medicare laws, they don’t vote IN programs like Death Tax…Clean Air…Patriot Act… without READING and UNDERSTANDING the content. What we need is MORE CHILDREN LEFT BEHIND (and old man foley doesn’t care as long as he gets SOME child’s left behind).
Posted by: old man foley | May 11, 2007, 12:02 pm 12:02 pm
Nice try “old man foley” but its the GOP (for all their faults) that is precisely the folks who lobby for better education of kids… starting with voting for vouchers as the Democrats support the government run schools that continue to churn out students who do well tested against many foreign students. Strangely enough private schools often turn out kids who are far better educated and advanced compared to those from the government run schools… AND FOR LESS MONEY PER PUPIL! Granted the private school cannot be relied upon then to indoctrinate the kids with the government’s socialization strategies and that… well, just won’t do! Now I have a lot of problems with the Republicans but they are absolutely right on vouchers.
Posted by: Gary McKeel | May 11, 2007, 2:50 pm 2:50 pm
sorry, make that DO NOT do well against foreign students.
Posted by: Gary McKeel | May 11, 2007, 2:58 pm 2:58 pm
As has been mentioned, the federal government has absolutely no constitutional authority to be involved in the nation’s schools or in other aspect of education. The words “education,” “school,” etc is never mentioned in the U.S.Constitution. We the people have completely lost control of our government.
Posted by: Rad Allen | May 11, 2007, 4:37 pm 4:37 pm
Is it just me… But, all of their stories are hit pieces on Republicans. Guliani, No child left behind, Ted Stevens, Tobias, Haditha, GOP Donors Dine with the Queen. WOW it must be a quiet day for the God like Democrats… I can find several stories, seems like ABC can’t. But what do you expect.
Posted by: pfrg999 | May 11, 2007, 5:19 pm 5:19 pm
I am a teacher, in a public school who is VERY much against NCLB. Let me tell you that you need to look carefully at your childs schedule next school year. I think what you will see is that all kids are being dumped together, regardless of ability. They are all going to be mediocre at best. The lowest performing (used to be called Special Ed.) are going to be regular education, the middle are going to be pre-AP, the next one is AP then “Honors” level classes.
The players are the same, the names have changed…that’s all. NCLB has done nothing but change the names.
We have succeded in completely dumbing down the schools and the educational system.
By the way, there is PLENTY of help at the school for kids like Kimberly’s. Avail yourself of them, there are plenty of rules/laws/regulations and mandates to take care of anyone who is failing. Teachers have to document time spent with any kid who is failing. There is almost NO school without a tutoring program to remediate student problems or educational short comings. Avail yourself of them!
Posted by: c.p. | May 11, 2007, 6:10 pm 6:10 pm
All there is to say is that this administration sold the public a bag of goods with their plan from the beginning of day one in year 2000.
Convinced the people that food stamps is no good; welfare is no good; social security is no good; medicare is no good, etc..
When the money for all the above is used for the aggression against Iraq and the military industrial complex and corruption abounds in all aspects of our society from the “No Child Left Behind” program.
When states have to find funds that the government does not contribute to the states for education and then determine how dumb the American student should be.
Posted by: makesenseofit | May 12, 2007, 12:18 pm 12:18 pm
Sorry C.P., THIS administration wasn’t around in 2000!!!
Posted by: D Riley | May 16, 2007, 7:28 pm 7:28 pm
Mr. McKeel, School vouchers will not be the savior of public school education. Take a closer look at how and why private schools are able to educate children so effectively. First, they are able to select their students. Public schools are obligated to take every student who lives in their district. Second, private schools are able to “dismiss” or expel students who are discipline problems or clearly do not invest themselves in their education. Public schools, again, may not do this unless a students’ behavior is so egregious that they pose a serious physical threat to other students. Often, a student who has been expelled can enroll after the expulsion term is over. We receive students who serve detention time in juvenile hall (jail for minors), who are on probation. We are not allowed to turn away these students.
Teachers make great efforts to try to give struggling kids opportunities to succeed. However, as we all know, the opportunities have to be taken when they are offered. Many students do not even attempt to take the opportunities. If private schools were required to take every student who applies (as public schools must do) you would see their success rates begin to decline and their expenditures to help some of these troubled and learning-challenged students rise. School vouchers will not solve everything.
Public schools do a good job considering what they are asked to do and with what resources they are given. Could we improve? Of course. But so could the parents, the students themselves, and the local, state, and federal governments. We all succeed and fail together. So, when you indict students, or teachers, or parents, or politicians, you indict yourself as well. We can ALL do better to help our children.
Posted by: Illinois teacher | June 10, 2007, 12:53 pm 12:53 pm