Bush and No Child Left Behind: What Really is a Solution

The NCLB- no child left behind act requires increased standardized testing for all school aged children in Reading, Writing and Math. Instead of more students being successful and ultimately going to college, the opposite is true. High school dropouts have increased. In LA unified, the number that is bantered around is 50%. 50% dropouts? I was asked the other day what is the one thing that would make a greater difference in these kids lives- to help kids succeed.
My answer is smaller class sizes and increased pupil support sevices. Think about your home life. Many of you had a parent or friend of the family, some influencial adult take you under their wing and talk to you, encourage and giving support. Thats the number one thing. If all kids have one advocate to turn to, someone that watches over them, the students will respond and have the best chances of succeeding in life.
Smaller class sizes and increased pupil support services will help immensly- more than ram-rodding more information in a calculated rote manner. People need human touch for nurturing. Our students could do much better with individualized caring instruction. SB