NCLB reauthorization … of family life?

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) act does not apply to homeschooling families because the federal government does not give them any money for their children’s educations. Still, I must comment because this wording in the NCLB discussion bill puts everyday family life into federal law.

Miller-McKeon Discussion Draft, PDF-pages 276 – 277

(d) SHARED RESPONSIBILITIES FOR IMPROVED STUDENT ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT.As a component of the school-level parental involvement policy developed under subsection (b), each school served under this part shall jointly develop with parents for all children served under this part a school-parent compact that outlines how parents, the entire school staff, and students will share the responsibility for improved student academic achievement and the means by which the school and parents will build and develop a partnership to help children achieve the State’s high standards. Such compact shall

(1) describe the school’s responsibility to provide high-quality curriculum and instruction in a supportive and effective learning environment that enables the children served under this part to meet the State’s student academic achievement standards, and the ways in which each parent will be responsible for supporting their children’s learning, such as monitoring attendance, monitoring homework completion, and monitoring television watching; volunteering in their child’s classroom; and participating, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the education of their children and positive use of extracurricular time;

[emphasis added]

The tax dollars given to schools should support the children and families, not be a means to hold the children and families in thrall. For more on that attitude, see the post below about recapturing children.

I understand that the best use is made of the money given to schools if the children have safe, happy and interesting family lives. Children must be able to take in the attention given to them in school or that time and money is wasted. But having the federal government legislate parental responsibilities, especially by presuming that Federal Knows Best on the “positive use of extracurricular time” — as if childhood is merely an adjunct to ‘curricular time,’ i.e., school! — is an affront.

Whoever wrote this must not see families as sons and daughters, mothers and fathers; that person or people must see us as students and employees.

posted by Valerie

Tags: homeschooling families, NCLB, No Child Left Behind, tax