PRACTICAL HELP FOR HURRICANE VICTIMS MOOTED

Reps. John Boehner (R-OH) and Bobby Jindal (R-LA) today led a group of House education leaders in introducing the Family Education Reimbursement Act (H.R. 4097), an innovative proposal to assist the students and families affected by the Gulf Coast hurricanes as well as the public, private, and charter schools that have enrolled displaced students. For one year, the bill would create Family Education Reimbursement Accounts to allow families and schools to bypass existing bureaucracies and provide reimbursement to schools on behalf of children displaced by the storms.

“As the Gulf Coast rebuilding and recovery effort continues, we must not lose sight of the needs of the schools and communities that have welcomed displaced families. Public, private, and charter schools have all opened their doors to hurricane affected students, and we should put in place a simple reimbursement process for schools that cuts through the layers of bureaucracy,” said Boehner, chairman of the Education & the Workforce Committee.

"Parents know that the continued education of their children is a top priority, especially at a time such as this," Jindal said. "I am confident that, through this legislation, everyone can work together to make sure that children who have been uprooted will continue to have the educational opportunities they deserve, that their parents are empowered to make the best choices for their children, and that the communities and schools that have opened their doors to so many students are not financially punished for that generosity. This legislation will cut through the typical red tape and bureaucracy that otherwise might have hindered parents in their efforts to give their children the best education possible."

“As the recovery continues, we cannot allow red tape and bureaucracy to stand in the way of meaningful assistance for the schools that have so generously opened their doors to the students who have lost their homes, their schools, and their communities. Reimbursement accounts are a simple, straightforward plan to empower families and provide relief to the schools that have enrolled displaced students,” said Rep. Charles Boustany (R-LA).

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NOW WHY WOULD LOONY-LEFT CALIFORNIA BE SO BAD AT EDUCATING ITS KIDS?

When it comes to mastering reading and math skills, California's students lag behind their peers across most of the country, according to results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress released Wednesday.

The test, often called the nation's report card, has been around for decades. This is the second time that every state has been required to participate under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. Administered to fourth-and eighth-graders every two years, the assessment is now seen as a key indicator of No Child Left Behind's progress. Taken by 660,000 pupils nationwide, the exam shows California's fourth-graders ranked 44th in math and 48th in reading. The state's eighth-graders fared even worse: 44th in math and 49th in reading. Nationwide, 36 percent of fourth-graders have achieved proficiency in math, compared to 28 percent in California. In reading, the results are more bleak: 31 percent of American fourth-graders are proficient, compared to 22 percent of Californians.

The results also highlight the continued achievement gap between white and minority students: In California, 46 percent of white fourth-graders were proficient or above in math. But just 12 percent of African American students and 14 percent of Latinos reached that level. Nationally, math scores rose slightly, but reading scores were flat for both grades, compared with results of two years ago.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell said while it's clear California must do more to improve student achievement, "there are valid reasons to question the fairness of state-to-state comparisons." In a statement, O'Connell said the exam "is not aligned to the content taught in California's classrooms." [I believe it!] He also pointed out that California has the highest proportion of English learners and tested a higher proportion of them than any other state.

No Child Left Behind supporters like Russlynn Ali say O'Connell is making excuses. "NAEP is not directly aligned to any state standards," said Ali, executive director of the Education Trust-West, an Oakland-based group that works to improve minority and low-income student achievement. "But it is regarded by experts nationwide as an assessment of the common sets of skills that students should be able to master no matter what state they live in."

While California does have a higher proportion of English learner and low-income students, who traditionally score lower on standardized tests, the state's white and affluent students didn't fare much better, Ali pointed out. For example, California's white eighth-graders only outperformed their peers in New Mexico, Mississippi and Louisiana. "For the fifth largest economy in the world, these data are simply embarrassing," Ali said.

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For greatest efficiency, lowest cost and maximum choice, ALL schools should be privately owned and run -- with government-paid vouchers for the poor and minimal regulation.

The NEA and similar unions worldwide believe that children should be thoroughly indoctrinated with Green/Left, feminist/homosexual ideology but the "3 R's" are something that kids should just be allowed to "discover"

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