Schools Narrowing Their Curriculums
NCLB has forced schools to cut back on certain subjects to focus on reading, math
By Debra Lau Whelan -- School Library Journal, 5/1/2006
In order to meet the rigorous requirements of the No Child Left Behind act (NCLB), schools nationwide are reducing class time spent on many subjects to focus on reading and math—and school librarians are in a perfect position to help.
More than 70 percent of school districts admit that their elementary schools have reduced instructional time spent on subjects ranging from social studies and history to science and art in a practice known as narrowing the curriculum, according to “From the Capital to the Classroom,” a recent report by the Washington, DC-based Center on Education Policy, which tracks federal, state, and local implementation of President Bush’s signature education law.
Although 78 percent of districts report improved standardized test scores by narrowing the curriculum, the main concern is that low-proficiency students will only master rote learning and fail to obtain a well-rounded education, says Jack Jennings, the center’s president. In some cases, the report says, struggling students receive double periods of reading and math or both—sometimes missing certain subjects altogether.
“The poorer the school district, the more likely they were to have prescribed time for reading and math,” Jennings says. “Some of these courses are just boring kill-and-drill lessons, so there’s a good chance that these kids will lose interest in just learning by repetition.”
That’s where media specialists come in. “Librarians expose kids to all subjects,” Jennings adds. “And since their emphasis is on reading, they can help get kids—especially poor children—interested in topics that can broaden their horizons.”
Julie Walker, executive director of the American Association of School Librarians, says media specialists should always help support the curriculum, as well as provide materials that allow students to develop their individual interests. “The good school library media specialist is going to spot these opportunities wherever they are,” she says.
Urban schools are most affected by NCLB—which penalizes districts that fail to make annual progress—with 51 percent of Title I schools being singled out as needing improvement, the report says. That’s why places such as the Chicago Public Schools, one of the largest urban districts in the country, have initiated their own accountability system. District schools group students with like abilities and then move them quickly to higher-level skills.
Suburban and rural areas, such as the Calhoun County School District in Alabama, are equally aggressive. The district’s elementary schools have added extensive teacher training, classroom coaches, observation by administrators, and continuous student assessments in fluency, comprehension, vocabulary, and phonics. Saks Middle School has even started a one-hour intervention period that’s used for remediation and special instruction for struggling students and is considering creating single-gender classes to help improve learning for male students.
The report’s findings are based on a survey of 299 school districts located in rural, suburban, and urban areas in 50 states. For a copy, visit www.ctredpol.org.
