Cortese talks NCLB with Congress
AFT highlights NCLB problems in meeting with Democratic freshmen

AFT executive vice president Antonia Cortese recently briefed the House of Representatives' Democratic class of 2006 on the AFT's priorities for reauthorizing the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).

The 42 members of the Democrats' "freshman class," all elected for the first time in November 2006, are a key part of the reauthorization debate. Many of the freshmen campaigned vigorously for making significant changes to current law, and AFT members were active in many of their campaigns.

Cortese attended the meeting at the invitation of Rep. Tim Walz (D-Minn.), president of the Democratic 2006 class and a member of the AFT. Cortese told the lawmakers that "AFT members are frustrated by the law and the negative effect they believe it has on teaching and learning in our schools."

After almost six years of living and working under NCLB, "our teachers and many others want Congress to get testing under control so that it informs instruction instead of interfering with it," Cortese added. "Fix AYP, give credit for student progress, eliminate supplemental services and other programs that have no track record in improving student achievement, and give struggling schools the help they need—not punitive sanctions that don't work."

She also noted that the draft proposal put forth by House Education and Labor Committee chairman George Miller (D-Calif.) and ranking member Buck McKeon (R-Calif.) "simply doesn't achieve these goals and should not move forward without significant modifications."

Many of the freshman members told Cortese that teachers in their districts have been very vocal about NCLB and that they are listening closely and understand the House draft is not satisfactory.

Although making improvements to NCLB is a top priority and needs to happen as soon as possible, Cortese cautioned the new lawmakers about getting it right first. "It is important that the product, not the clock, drives this process," she said.