I hate No Child Left Behind. That was edgy. I realize that saying something like that isn’t breaking ground but NCLB is killing our kids.
Schools require federal funding; this is no secret but because of this law passed during the Bush administration schools are forced to take standardized tests that determine their funding. However, the government, in my opinion, got it all backwards and “rewarded” schools for doing well on the tests and “disciplined” schools for doing poorly by giving out fewer dollars. The problem is that all of the schools that perform well on the tests are wealthy and doesn’t need the extra funding whereas the schools that perform poorly are from poorer regions, such as rural and urban areas where government funding is necessary to keep the schools open. For instance, Swanton, VT, a small rural town only six miles from Canada has very few people living above the poverty line. The school has an incredibly high teacher/administrative turnover. The school, for various reasons including parent involvement and predetermination as well as a whole host of other socio-economic afflictions has scored low on the standardized tests that determine government funding. Each year, the school receives less and less federal aid forcing teachers to either take pay-cuts or lose their jobs which creates larger classroom sizes while at the same time not being able to afford new books, equipment or the like. The problem becomes cyclical as every year the quality of education dissipates because the school has a hard time recruiting good teachers despite the fact that UVM has one of the most progressive Colleges of Education in the country.
The reason that I bring this up in this forum is because this is really hurting physical education programs across the country (as well as music programs which are near and dear to my heart). Administrators see PE teachers as expendable given that they are not nationally tested nor is funding determined by how many healthy bodies are in the school. The Presidential Fitness Test has some legs (although it is an incomplete gauge of fitness) but no teeth as nothing is gained or lost by schools based on performance. With PE being dropped entirely in some school districts kids, along with schools serving unhealthy lunches, children are not only getting poor educations but are being lined up for a whole onslaught of medical conditions with the real possibility of an early grave. Through a roundabout way, No Child Left Behind is killing children. Awesome.
Solution: Get rid of the reward/discipline system that is at the base of NCLB. I believe that testing is an important and necessary way of valuing a school but they should be used for educational purposes, for instance, seeing what needs to be improved throughout the school, where teachers are successful or are lacking and how the geographic areas fared. With this, along with equal federal funding, schools should be able to keep PE in the schedule, as well as music, art, shop... It is proven that kids who perform exercise (and music) daily are, across the board, better students than their sedentary counterparts. It should be mandatory for students to take PE daily in elementary school as well as middle school. In high school, based on Varsity sport status, gym could be optional during that season and replaced with Study Hall during the season of that sport.
It becomes vital that schools higher quality PE teachers. I firmly believe that teachers are there because they have a genuine care for the students that pass through their classes. PE teachers are no different but they ought to be doing more than setting up two goals, throwing some pinnies out and telling kids “remember, a girl has to touch the ball before you score.” They should give out nutrition advice and teach students how to live a long and healthy life. They are, after all, Physical Educators.
If anybody wants to get me wound up we can discuss the current tenure system. Below is a sample schedule that I believe any public school could support and be successful with.
Day 1-4 Time | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 Time | Day 5 |
8:00-8:55 | English (3) | Spanish(1) | Spanish (1) | Spanish (1) | 8-8:43 | Spanish (1) |
9-9:55 | History (4) | Study Hall(2) | Study Hall(2) | Study Hall(2) | 8:48-9:31 | Study Hall (2) |
10-10:55 | Gym (5) | Gym (5) | English (3) | English (3) | 9:36-10:19 | English (3) |
10:55-12 | Lunch | Lunch | Lunch | Lunch | 10:24-11:07 | History (4) |
12-12:55 | Band (6) | Band (6) | History (4) | History (4) | 11:07-11:40 | Lunch |
1-1:55 | Math (7) | Math (7) | Math (7) | Gym (5) | 11:45-12:28 | Gym (5) |
2-2:55 | Science (8) | Science (8) | Science (8) | Band (6) | 12:33-1:16 | Band (6) |
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| 1:21-2:04 | Math (7) |
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| 2:09-2:52 | Science (8) |
