QuEST '05

AFT's provessional issues conference deals with how to fix NCLB

No Child Left Behind, and specifically the AFT’s campaign to “get it right,” was the main topic as hundreds of AFT members gathered in Washington, D.C., in July for the union’s QuEST (Quality Educational Standards in Teaching) conference. While the official theme was “Teaching All, Reaching All,” NCLB is clearly the broader framework influencing how that is happening in schools.

For paraprofessionals, the conference took place shortly after the AFT received the good news that the U.S. Department of Education had granted its request to delay timelines for paras to meet the law’s employment requirements. “This is a commonsense change that makes a real difference in a lot of people’s lives,” AFT president Edward J. McElroy said in his first QuEST keynote speech. “We appreciate [Secretary of Education Margaret Spelling’s] openness and her willingness to consider sensible changes to the law, and I look forward to continuing to work with her.”

Spellings herself, in a rare unscripted appearance by a Bush administration Cabinet member, came to the conference and answered questions from McElroy that had been submitted by AFT members. Spellings and McElroy agreed on the big issues, such as the need for higher standards and highly qualified educators, but “the devil is in the details,” as McElroy put it, and that’s where the sharpest disagreements arose. Questions related to NCLB and particularly the goal of having all students reach “adequate yearly progress,” or AYP, dominated much of the session. The secretary acknowledged that one aspect of the law she hears about most is AYP, especially the fact that some schools in which student achievement is rising are still failing to meet AYP goals. “Not meeting AYP is not, in my opinion, a failing school,” Spellings said.

The sharpest disagreement between McElroy and Spellings arose over a question on the federal budget. While McElroy noted that budget proposals being considered by Congress would cut education funding—and reduce Title I money to about two-thirds of the nation’s school districts—Spellings countered that the Bush administration has increased overall education funding since taking office and is also facing tighter budgets in a time of war. “I don’t think [Secretary of Defense Donald] Rumsfeld is running any bake sales,” McElroy quipped in response.

Unionism and professionalism
In his speech, the AFT president emphasized that while AFT members are overwhelmingly unhappy with NCLB, they don’t want it repealed and support its underlying goals, including raising standards for all children and focusing on helping disadvantaged children. The AFT will “never back away from high standards and accountability, but it is important to get the regulations we place on teachers and schools right,” said McElroy.

McElroy also asked participants to become stronger union and political activists to influence policymakers and elected officials on issues that affect AFT members. “Don’t just carry your union card,” he urged. “Carry the union with you in all you do. Be a voice for the fact that unionism and professionalism go hand in hand.”

One other QuEST general session dealt with NCLB. Jack Jennings, president and founder of the Center on Education Policy and one of the key architects behind the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, told the audience: “Despite all the problems with No Child Left Behind, NCLB is not going away—and it should not go away.”

He urged AFT members to ask the hard questions, make the necessary adjustments and build the key political alliances needed to keep the 40-year-old federal law true to its mission of helping the nation forge a more just society and helping millions of disadvantaged children find opportunity in public education.

Jennings also hailed the AFT’s rich history in courageously promoting the goals behind true standards-based reform. That kind of spirit, he said, can make the union a key force behind efforts to improve NCLB.

One of the most popular QuEST sessions this year was one that honored six teachers
for making a difference in the lives of people who have gone on to become Hollywood successes. The evening’s moderator, Lawrence O’Donnell Jr., a TV pundit and writer/producer of the prime-time hit “The West Wing,” interviewed the stars and their teachers. Phylicia Rashad, Steve Buscemi, Joe Pantoliano and Antwone Fisher all credited their teachers with setting them on the path to success, sometimes against great odds. Fisher, a writer whose story has become well known through the movie that carries his name, was born in a prison where his mother was an inmate and grew up in foster homes and orphanages. As he wrote in his autobiography: “If there is such a thing as human beings who act as angels in our lives, Brenda Profit was that to me.” Profit was his teacher in Cleveland in grades 4, 5 and 6.