NCLB In Your Face

Write a Letter

This call to action comes from the National Council of Teachers of English. They invite others to join in.

NCTE Members Are Asked to Send a Letter
Protesting the Punitive Testing Measures in NCLB
and the President’s Proposal to Extend
NCLB Mandated Tests to High School

* Send a letter to your governor (before February 25) and to your representatives and senators.

* Use this link to find the contact information for your governor, senators, and representative:


http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home

* Feel free to copy and paste the letter below (inserting the appropriate personal text and editing as you see fit) or compose your own letter into the e-mail form provided on Congress.org or into your word processing program for mailing.

* Do include your own stories and experiences to best illustrate the points.

* NOTE: If you are mailing the letter don't forget to attach a printed copy of the statement from


http://www.fairtest.org/joint%20statement%20civil%20rights%20grps%2010-21-04.html


Thank you for taking part in this initiative
on behalf of students and schools everywhere!


[insert date]

Dear Governor or Senator or Representative [insert name of your governor, senator, or representative]:

I am writing to share with you a statement signed by more than forty national education, civil rights, disability, children's, religious, and citizens' organizations. This statement suggests changes in the implementation of the No Child Left Behind legislation. Since this statement was first issued in October 2004, the number of organizations adding their support to this position has more than doubled. I hope that you give serious consideration to these recommendations for constructive changes, starting this year.

In order to achieve the No Child Left Behind Act's goals of strong academic progress for all children and closing the achievement gap, Congress needs to make substantial corrections in the law.

[if you wish, include your own stories and experiences with NCLB to best illustrate your points]

I urge you not to extend the NCLB mandated annual math and reading tests to two additional high school grades. While I welcome the President's focus on improving student achievement in high schools, two more years of testing will not accomplish this important goal, but will instead lead to narrowing curriculum and increasing the number of students who drop-out. Instead, the federal government should put in place programs such as those that help high schools strengthen the curriculum for all students, create comprehensive adolescent literacy programs, establish smaller schools and programs within existing schools to provide more individualized attention to students, expand drop-out prevention activities, and create more flexible high schools that meet the needs of our diverse population of high school students.

I urge that you hold hearings to explore these concerns and that legislation putting in place these reforms be acted on this Congress, rather than waiting until the scheduled expiration of NCLB in 2007.

Sincerely,

[insert your name, address]

National Council of Teachers of English

INDEX OF NCLB IN YOUR FACE