Does "No Child Left Behind" Reform Leave Teachers in the Dust?

By: Lauren Seifert
Topics: Domestic Issues

There's a battle brewing between President Obama and the nation's teachers unions over his plans to reauthorize No Child Left Behind. The crux of the White House's plan would set firmer standards for success and judge schools by the growth of individual students instead of overall class performance.

But the nation's largest Teachers union, the National Education Association, released a statement Saturday that said they would not support the "blueprint", adding that it relies on relies on standardized tests to identify "winners and losers" with states competing for critical resources.

On Monday's "Washington Unplugged," NEA President Dennis Van Roekel told CBS News' Sharyl Attkisson, "We believe that collaboration is absolutely essential and we want to make sure that within the policy that is written that it ensures that management, the school boards, the employees and their unions are absolutely part of that collaboration to reach out to parents and the community."

Education Secretary Arne Duncan said Monday morning, "there will be shared responsibility. Not just with teachers, but principles, school systems, and even states. Everyone's going to be accountable for driving better results."

Are teachers unions standing in the way of comprehensive reform for our nation's school children for the sole benefit of educators? According to Van Hoekel, "Our members are the ones who are in those classrooms every single day. Their passion and commitment is unparalleled. We want to make sure that these schools change what's happening to students."

Watch Monday's Washington Unplugged above, which also features an interview with Bill Geerhart on his book "Little Billy's Letters" and CBS News Chief White House correspondent Chip Reid with the latest on health care.

"Washington Unplugged" appears live on CBSNews.com each weekday at 12:30 p.m. ET. Click here to check out previous episodes.

Lauren Seifert
Lauren Seifert is an associate producer for CBSNews.com.
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by tsigili March 16, 2010 10:45 AM EDT: Teachers need to wake up, and get out of the profession. Government and parents alike, will NEVER treat you with any respect, they will never compensate you fairly, and they will never appreciate what you do!

Tell them to take it and shove it.....and go into some other line of work.; Reply to this comment


by luckydmh12 March 16, 2010 10:12 AM EDT: We the teachers aren't worried about being more accountable. We are more accountable than any other company or business that exists. The problem is that we don't get any credit for the good we do and always get blamed for families not stepping up and taking care of business at home. Poor ToolMangler1 is actually doing what is needed in more families. We don't have the money to keep tutor programs in our schools and we don't have money to keep the teachers in our schools. I guess when robots can teach, they will take over because they will work for less then we already do! Good luck markj2 when your new fellow employees are way under educated in the next 10 years because the government keeps taking money away from the entire education system!; Reply to this comment


by melpol1 March 16, 2010 12:48 AM EDT: Tests for students must be eliminated and replaced with attendance medals. The end result would be graduates that understood what their teachers were talking about and those that did not. Tests just add to the confusion and are not needed.; Reply to this comment

by ToolMangler1 March 15, 2010 9:28 PM EDT

"No Child left behind" didn't work like it should. I have 8 Grandkids that I have to tutor myself to get them the education the school should be teaching. No Child left behind means that and only that, (Pass 'em all'). We all know that it is impossible for every child to achieve the perceived level of perfection that should be theirs. But I feel sorry for some of the children that are in my Grandkids classes because I can't tutor them all 'one on one' and shouldn't have to. Maybe Obama can point them in the right direction.

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by hateisafourletterword March 16, 2010 11:28 AM EDT: It will never work like it should in a free country. We paid for pre-school (thankfully we could afford it), we hired tutors (we work hard to afford it) and we helped our kids too.

But there are lots of parents who never show up for conferences, open houses, or other events. How many times do you hear about kids on the streets after school. Get them home and studying. That is not the teachers job nor the government. You want to have kids, then learn to be a parent. So your kids do not get NIKE shoes that cost $2 to make and $250 to purchase. Boo effing hoo.
I am glad you were there to help, but why are you educating your grand kids? Where are the parents?