首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
Margaret Spellings, the secretary of education, announced a pilot reform to the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), George Bush’s e
Margaret Spellings, the secretary of education, announced a pilot reform to the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), George Bush’s e
admin
2011-02-11
42
问题
Margaret Spellings, the secretary of education, announced a pilot reform to the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), George Bush’s education law, which was passed in 2002 Up to ten states, she said, would be allowed to target their resources at the most severely struggling schools, rather than at the vast number needing improvement. The change drew a predictable mix of praise and censure. Above all, though, it was a reminder of utter inaction elsewhere.
Congress, which was supposed to re-authorize the law last year, has made little progress. On the campaign trail, concerns over Iraq and the economy have made education a minor issue. Contrary to appearances, the law’s main tenets are unlikely to be abandoned completely. But for the Democratic candidates in particular, a proper debate on NCLB is to be avoided like political quicksand.
Most politicians agree that the law has the right goals—to raise educational standards and hold schools accountable for meeting them. NCLB requires states to test pupils on math and reading from third to eighth grade (that is, from the ages of eight to 13), and once in high school. Some science testing is being added. Schools that do not make "adequate yearly progress" towards meeting state standards face sanctions. Pupils in failing schools can supposedly transfer to a better one or get tutoring.
Most also agree that NCLB has big flaws that must be fixed. Few pupils in bad schools actually transfer—less than 1% of those eligible did so in the 2003—04 school year. Teachers’ unions say the tests are focused too narrowly on math and reading, fail to measure progress over time and encourage "teaching to the test". They also complain that the law lacks proper funding. The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, a conservative policy group, has exposed wide gaps in state standards. Test-data reflect this. In Mississippi 90% of fourth-graders were labeled "proficient" or better in the state reading test in 2006-07. Only 19% reached that level in a national test.
John McCain, the Republican presidential nominee, offers NCLB tepid support but fails to elaborate. At Democratic rallies, NCLB is little more than a whipping-boy. Hillary Clinton proclaims that she will "end the unfunded mandate known as No Child Left Behind". But though she and Barack Obama deride NCLB publicly, each endorses the idea of accountability. They favor using more sophisticated "assessments" in place of tests, want to value a broader range of skills, punish schools less and support them more. How these ideas would be implemented remains unclear.
Not surprisingly, more controversial proposals can be found among those not running for president. Chester Finn of Fordham thinks the federal government needs greater power to set standards, while states should have more leeway in meeting them. A bipartisan commission on NCLB has issued a slew of proposals. Particularly contentious is a plan to use pupils’ test scores to help identify ineffective teachers as in need of retraining.
Of course, standards alone do not improve education. Both Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Obama propose a host of new programs for schools, described on their websites if rarely on campaign. But accountability is likely to remain a big part of school reform. Last April a group of philanthropists announced a $60m effort to make education the top domestic issue of 2008. So far, it looks like money spent.
Which of the following is NOT a weakness of NCLB?
选项
A、The law has been properly funded.
B、Only a few pupils in bed schools transfer.
C、The tests are focused on nothing but maths and reading.
D、The tests actually encourage "teaching to the test".
答案
A
解析
原文该段第4句表明NCLB缺少足够的资金(lacks proper funding),选项A的意思与原文相反,故 A为答案。
转载请注明原文地址:https://jikaoti.com/ti/ROpYFFFM
0
专业英语八级
相关试题推荐
ExpositionExpositioniswritingthatexplains.Mostofthebooksinuniversityli-brariesareexamplesofexposition.Alth
A、Atapublicforum.B、OnTV.C、Inanauditorium.D、Inaclassroom.B采访一开始,主持人就说:“Goodeveningandwelcometotonight’sprogram”
A、sufferedseverecasualtiesB、wereontherecentlyissuedlistofterroristsC、foughtwithSaudipoliceforcesD、werethoughtt
RobertCongel,acommercialreal-estatedeveloperwholivesinupstateNewYork,hasaplanto"changetheworld."Convincedtha
ItispossibleforstudentstoobtainadvanceddegreesinEnglishwhileknowinglittleornothingabouttraditionalscholarlyme
Paris:ThankstoaFrenchinsurancecompany,bridesandbridegroomswithcoldfeetnolongerfacefinancialdisasterfromacanc
TheStockMarketWhenanewcompanyisorganizedandsharesaresold,itisnothardtodeterminethevalueofeachshare:al
TheStockMarketWhenanewcompanyisorganizedandsharesaresold,itisnothardtodeterminethevalueofeachshare:al
在逝去如飞的日子里,在千门万户的世界里的我能做些什么呢?只有徘徊罢了,只有匆匆罢了;在八千多日的匆匆里,除徘徊外,又剩些什么呢?过去的日子如轻烟却被微风吹散了,如薄雾。被初阳蒸融了;我留着些什么痕迹呢?我何曾留着像游丝样的痕迹呢?我赤裸裸来到这世界,转眼间
TheexecutivedirectorofTransparencyInternationalKenyanwasdismissedbecausehe______.
随机试题
患者,男,58岁。近两日来出现头晕,胸闷,心脏X线表现为左心室肥厚、增大,主动脉增宽、延长、迂曲,有肺淤血和肺水肿征象。考虑最可能的诊断是()
下列不属于轻度催眠药物中毒的是
国际放射学界公认的半影模糊阈值是
设三阶矩阵A的特征值为1,2,3,则|A2+I|=()。
金融债券的招投标发行通过证券交易所债券发行系统进行。( )
AspectsofJackson’spersonallife,includinghischangingappearance,personalrelationshipsandbehavior,_________controversy.
美国著名摄影记者罗伯特.卡帕说:“像蚂蚁一样工作。像蝴蝶一样飞舞。”尼采说:“每一个不曾起舞的日子,都是对生命的辜负。”请结合实际,谈谈你的看法。
设其中g(x)在x=0处具有二阶导数,且g(0)=1,g′(0)=一1.讨论f′(x)在x=0处的连续性.
某公司销售部门主管大华拟对本公司产品前两季度的销售情况进行统计,按下述要求帮助大华完成统计工作:为“产品销售汇总表”的数据区域A1:I21套用一个表格格式,包含表标题,并取消列标题行的筛选标记。
InflationBusinessandgovernmentleadersalsoconsidertheinflationratetobeanimportantgeneralindicator.Inflationi
最新回复
(
0
)