'Mrs. Spelling… Tear Down that Flawed NCLB Legislation, then Let’s Eliminate Homework which is also Destroying Public Schools,' begs author Debra Craig.

Teacher Debra Craig and author of the recently published book, "Why Is the Teacher's Butt So Big?" defends the recent news about states not reporting millions of students’ test scores in their NCLB reports. She also admonishes Secretary of Education Margaret Spelling for not being forthcoming about all of the problems with NCLB and recommends Spellings now do the right thing by pushing for this landmark legislation’s elimination and putting common sense in public schools instead.

Moreno Valley, CA (PRWEB) April 24, 2006 -- This week, the Associated Press made headlines with the news that the test scores of millions of students, often minority students, are not included in the data used to determine if a school is making progress in achieving their academic goals set by NCLB criteria.

“News organizations around the nation condemned these states for “cheating” or “taking advantage of loop holes” when all they were doing is following the letter of the law that No Child Left Behind established!” says Debra Craig, an anti-NCLB crusader. “However this story is a perfect example showing not only the absurdity of NCLB, but the poor thinking and logic that went into creating this powerful legislation.”

Furthermore this teacher-turned-advocate suggests Secretary of Education Spellings is being disingenuous when she acts surprised that this loophole exists. “Maybe she should have read my book, “Why Is the Teachers’ Butt So Big? Plus 111 Other Mysteries of Public Education.” She would have learned about this little known quirk in the system which states that only “subgroups with that make up at least 10% of the student population” need to be included in the schools’ data. I speak about this issue in Mystery #82: Will a school be designated “underperforming even if all the subgroups have made progress except one?” on pages 187 and 188.”

This on campus suspension high school teacher is referring to the first book which was recently published by A.T. Publishing, New York. Debra says her motivation for writing the book was to help bring attention to how poorly thought-out No Child Left Behind really is and to bring common sense into the decisions that are made about public education.

What kind of “common sense” thinking does the founder of “Common Sense In Public Schools.com” suggests schools need?

The first thing Debra would tackle is the way public schools are funded. “There are so many issues here from basing school funding solely on the property tax base of the community to giving schools money based on the attendance of students. Does it make sense to penalize schools for something they have no control over: whether or not a parent sends their child to school consistently. A classroom has set costs whether 17 students are there or 25, yet schools don’t get the money they need because a parent would rather take their child to Disneyland during the school day?” Debra also feels too much money is wasted in public schools.

Other common sense things Craig feels public education needs to look at is finding ways to give students more time to learn, grouping students in classrooms by their abilities, and eliminating homework. “This is probably one of the most controversial aspects of my common sense thinking,” admits the eight year teaching veteran.

“Why should parents be the ones to teach their child at home because there isn’t enough time in the day for the teacher to help students with independent practice?” she asks. Debra’s homework theory, she says can help explain why the “achievement gap” isn’t about race but economic levels. “Children from families with more money usually have better educated parents who can help them with homework. Children from poorer homes don’t usually have the parents who have the education themselves, yet they are expected to offer the same assistance? What parent wants to look dumb in the eyes of their child so they student is forced to go it alone or what usually happens, not do it at all.”

Debra will be happy to speak to any media organization regarding these and her other unique views and ideas which she feels can make public schools better.

Debra’s book, “Why Is the Teacher’s Butt So Big? Plus 111 Other Mysteries of Public Education is available at Amazon.com and debracraig.com. Details will also be announcing soon information on her new blog, Common Sense in Public Schools.com

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