By Kelley Kepler
Catholic Herald

Reactions to new No Child Left Behind Act

SUPERIOR --President George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act into law on January 8, 2002. The U.S. Department of Education has called it "the most sweeping reform of federal education policy in a generation." But what does this new law entail, and how will it affect private schools?

In regards to public schools, the law has upped national standards for education and will hold all schools accountable for improving children's academic achievement. Children will be tested in the subjects of English, math and eventually science, and these test scores will allow parents, educators and government officials to measure progress and identify which schools are in need of improvement. Schools that fail to improve will receive increased federal aid, and parents will have the option to transfer their children to other public schools or use school funding for tutoring or aid through faith-based organizations.

No Child Left Behind places great emphasis on reading, technology and community learning activities. One billion dollars will be spent over the next six years on a national program called Reading First, which aims at helping every child become a successful reader by the end of third grade.

The act will have a dramatic affect on the nation's public schools. Its affect on

private and religious schools is less obvious. People in the Diocese of Superior have mixed reactions to the new law. While some embrace it, others remain skeptical that it will make a difference when it comes to Catholic schools.

Pam Gebhardt, a parent in St. Germain, attended a No Child Left Behind session hosted by the Wisconsin Council of Religious and Independent Schools on April 23 in Stevens Point. She attended the session to find out if her son Jacob would be eligible for federal benefits and left the meeting in disappointment. "From my understanding (the No Child Left Behind Act) has more to do with the public schools and not the private ones," she said.

Gebhardt pointed out that the government's idea of a failing school might be very different from a parent's perception. She was dissatisfied in the way the public school district treated Jacob after he was diagnosed with dyslexia. "The public school would have tested him under the learning disabilities category, but he isn't disabled. He is challenged, but he has a high IQ, higher than most kids his age," said Gebhardt.

From her perspective, the public school failed her son, and this is why Gebhardt decided to transfer him to St. Peter the Fisherman's school in Eagle River. "St. Pete's has been great," she said while describing how pleased she and Jacob are with the teachers there. Both No Child Left Behind and voucher programs don't seem to take individual cases like this one into account, she said.

Nevertheless, Phyllis Schlagel, diocesan superintendent of schools, finds the new legislation to be very promising. "It clarifies what programs private schools can participate in and what extra programs and activities have been added," she said.

Mary Cherf, principal at St. Mary School in Tomahawk, also has positive expectations. Cherf attended the workshop in Stevens Point and another one through the Department of Education Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives that took place in Minneapolis on July 24. She said the workshops have also helped her gain a better understanding of the federal programs and aid available to private schools.

According to Cherf, "There's a lot of funding for community activities outside of the school framework." She said private schools have access to programs like Drug-Free Schools, migrant education, physical education, parent assistant centers and community technology programs. Private schools can also apply for a number of discretionary and formula grants for family literacy programs or community learning centers.

Paul Uhren, the principal at Cathedral School in Superior, said No Child Left Behind will give private schools additional flexibility. "It will give the private schools a little more power. Now we have to be included in the decision of how funds will be allocated," he said. He added that there may now be extra room in the budget for field trips which Cathedral school could not afford in the past.

The bottom line, according to Cherf, is that No Child Left Behind spells out that "educators are accountable for children's learning." This includes looking at the whole picture and examining whether educational strategies are working or not. "We can't keep doing the same treadmill of stuff," Cherf said. "We need to ask 'Why am I doing this?' and 'What is the benefit to children?' and not be afraid to break traditions that aren't working," she said.

One area of concern, said Uhren, is that the cost of additional mandated tests without additional funding will hurt private schools. The tests are required by the diocese even though the government does not require private schools to administer them.

However, Cherf insists educators can use these test results as "a teaching tool" that will allow them to know if children are learning and help identify weaknesses within the educational program. It is more productive to look at research-based data that supports learning than to follow trends, she said.

In addition, No Child Left Behind supports extracurricular community activities, and Cherf stressed the need for communication and cooperation within communities. She said private and public schools can often work together and form partnerships in order to best make use of the resources available for the benefit of the entire community.

Cherf also emphasized the importance of communication between families and educators. "Children succeed when parents are involved. In order to pull kids in, we must pull parents in too," said Cherf. "We need to make schools welcoming and find ways to invite the whole family in."

"What will draw people in?" Cherf asked. Her answer: "Good, solid education.

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© Superior Catholic Herald, 2002