Cairo Association of Teachers - Newsletter

CAT Tracks for January 12 2007 OLD NEWS

Not that anybody cares...

Realized that I had not checked out the KFVS Channel 12 website for a long period of time for news stories. Found this story from December 23rd concerning the restructuring of Cairo High School...with the implication that it is being done because "President Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act into law in 2002..."

The thing that has bugged me about all of this is that we keep hearing that Cairo High School is in year "6" on the NCLB "bad list". How is that possible if the law did not take effect until 2002? Just wondering...

And...since NCLB has to do with elementary schools, how does Cairo HIGH School wind up on the chopping block. Yeah...last year, they started talking about expanding NCLB into high schools, but that's all it was...TALK! Congress balked at doing that...because of the furor that was being raised over the elementary schools. Again, just wondering...

I say it's time to quit using NCLB as the scapegoat for what is "going down" in Cairo. NCLB does NOT require Cairo High School to be restructured! The "powers that be" are using NCLB as "smoke and mirrors". It's time to pull back the curtain and see who the "wizard" is that is pulling the levers.

From the KFVS Channel 12 website...

Cairo High School Restructures

By: Erica Byfield

CAIRO, Il. --President Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act into law in 2002, setting standards for all of our schools to meet and if not there are consequences.

Like one facing Cairo High School, they have to "restructure" the way the school operates.

No one can deny Cairo's past. And school district has a history of struggle as well. Superintendent Gary Whitledge says this is not something he is proud of, but it is his reality.

So, it's now time to shake up the way things run in this building, "This district is making an effort to reach out and get every stakeholder possible involved in the decision making" he said.

The state stepped in too; Tonya Collins is a member of the support team who has worked for nearly a year on a plan "We're here today to serve students and we do that best when all stake holders come together and great minds come together."

What's going to change?

Basically the fundamentals of how the school operates and how teachers instruct "It goes back to looking at how were teaching how were instructing how our curriculum is addressed and how were present that to students as our methodology and our pedagogy as well" said Collins.

Across the board no one thinks this is going to be an easy process, but it' has to be a collaborative process where administrators, staff, parents and students provide input and step up to ensure change.

School leaders hope to implement the changes by the 2007 school year.

The support team assisting Cairo High School is made up of representatives from the local community and state leaders.