Questioning the "Self Esteem Fad"

Here are some questions culled from the ongoing debate in educational circles in response to the DNR's editorial on October 19 concerning "The Self-Esteem Fad." These issues are routinely ignored or de-emphasized by the governmental policy known as “No Child Left Behind.”

Question: Some researchers say that pre-natal and early childhood care, environmental contamination, parental attitudes, family income, language facility and many other factors affect student performance. In well-run NCLB (No Child Left Behind) schools, are these irrelevant?

Question: NCLB relies on market forces to shape schools up. Does this mean that learning is unnatural and won’t happen unless teachers and kids are threatened or bribed?

Question: NCLB is rapidly pushing “frills” out of the curriculum. Has research now established that art, music, physical activity and so on have nothing to do with scientific and mathematical reasoning ability?

Question: Education is supposed to teach kids to think for themselves, not just recall what they’ve been ordered to remember. Are the centerpieces of NCLB (corporately produced, machine-scored tests) able to judge the relative quality of complex thought processes? If so, why aren’t they already doing that?

No Child er... no fatcats... left behind

And now we find that the way cool Reading First program that is the centerpiece of the administration's No Child Left Behind initiative, is an unproven pilot program that is a financial bonanza for the 5 lucky companies that are in the pocket of the ruling party. Once again we've been told that the preferred programs that are in the pocket of the Republican Party will replace any programs in place that are successful or are actually working. Check Michigan, New Mexico, etc, etc.... The game is simply that if you want Federal Funds you've got to accept the untested and unproven textbooks and curriculum that are favored by the government dogma and are lining the fat cat pockets. That this is happening to children is appalling! That even children are fair game for profit taking and partisanship is a particularly foul and grotesque display of incompetent governance. Is anyone reporting this besides the Washington Post! Come on people! Shout about it!