Tribes, Ed Leader Debate Left Behind Act (fwd)

[phil cash cash]

Tribes, Ed Leader Debate Left Behind Act

By KELLY KURT
The Associated Press
Monday, October 31, 2005; 9:37 PM
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/31/AR2005103101444.html

TULSA, Okla. -- American Indian leaders argued Monday that the No Child
Left Behind Act is too rigid and has forced rural schools to cut tribal
culture and language classes.

The leaders attending the meeting of the National Congress of American
Indians also said President Bush's school reform law makes it difficult
for rural districts to recruit and retain qualified teachers.

Thousands of North Dakota teachers were found to lack the schooling to
be considered highly qualified under the law. The Education Department
gave veteran teachers a reprieve, but it's a problem faced by rural
schools nationwide where teachers do double-duty in a variety of
subjects, said Tex Hall, the group's president.

"You might have a major in music and a minor in special education" and
teach both, Hall said. "But now, they're saying your minor isn't good
enough. It's devastating for a rural school district to say you just
lost your special ed teacher."

U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings defended the law, telling
the meeting that it has resulted in Indian children gaining in reading
and math.

"For the first time ever ... we are holding ourselves accountable as a
nation for closing the achievement gap between white and minority
students within a decade," she said. "It's about time."

The tribal leaders' concerns echo those contained in a preliminary
report released earlier in October by the National Indian Education
Association.

Lillian Sparks, the NIEA's executive director, said the group believes
the intent of the law is laudable and that it has shown where
achievement gaps are. But "culture and language isn't being
considered," particularly in parts of the law on teacher recruitment,
she said.

Spellings said she would work with tribes on improving communication on
a "goverment-to-goverment basis."

© 2005 The Associated Press