| By
Sheila Onuska, SCANews Education Board member
 In
a meeting Tuesday, July 27, with the St.
Louis Chinese American News Education Board,
Dr. Mary Cohen, Secretary's Regional Representative
of the United States Department of Education,
praised the strong parental support that
Chinese American students receive. Parental
involvement of this kind enables Chinese
American students to achieve at the highest
levels said Dr. Cohen.
Dr. Cohen and Alan Franklin,
Deputy Secretary's Regional Representative
of the Department, were in St. Louis to
discuss the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)
and its role in raising achievement levels
for all students. They were particularly
interested in the views of the members of
the Education Board. The meeting focused
on how the law supports increases in school
quality and the use of testing to ensure
accountability. The participants in the
discussion acknowledged the pre-eminent
importance of parents and family in student
success and achievement for all students.
NCLB, the most comprehensive
revision of federal education programs since
1965, was passed with bipartisan support
in January 2002, requiring schools to be
more accountable for results and giving
them incentives to be more flexible while
encouraging use of proven education methods.
While the U. S. Constitution leaves the
primary responsibility for public k-12 education
with the states, the federal government
provides substantial assistance to the states
and schools to supplement local resources.
In 2004 the total of federal education funds
allocated for the state of Missouri was
$343,154,156. Acceptance of federal funds
requires that each state be
accountable for their use and develop a
plan for their use. Dr. Cohen described
the Missouri Department of Elementary and
Secondary Education plan as "substantial"
with strong standards and an emphasis on
districts' demonstrating Adequate Yearly
Progress (AYP).
Dr. Cohen stressed that
the NCLB emphasis on testing gave schools
and parents access to data on achievement
that was "ammunition for change."
The results of testing, good and bad, can
generate support for attending to children's
needs the first time they are in danger
of being left behind. Citizens must ask
what schools are doing about the weaknesses
and gaps in performance that testing exposes.
Insistence on performance and accountability
will allow students to continue to meet
what Dr. Cohen called "the global imperative
for achievement."
 Education
Board members were unanimous in their support
for accountability and high standards for
all students. They emphasized how Chinese
culture demands the best of every individual
and how the parents of Chinese and Chinese
American students expect and encourage high
levels of performance from their children.
They agreed with the importance of testing
to allow schools to identify gaps in curriculum
and support systems for students.
Members of the Education
Board voiced concerns about how fast the
results of educational research reached
teachers and support for emphasizing healthy
eating in schools. They also wanted expanded
opportunities for counseling services for
students, more professional development
for teachers in the schools, and an effort
to reduce class size.
The meeting ended with
a focus on success. Schools succeed when
they are proactive, when the entire staff
is working toward the same goal, when teachers
and administrators think positively and
creatively about the ability of every student
to achieve. In future, NCLB will be extended
to include an emphasis on the training of
teachers.
SCANews Education Board
members at the meeting included Dr. Bill
Tao, Emeritus Trustee of Washington University,
Dr. Hung-gay Fung, University of Missouri,
St. Louis, Dr. Grace Liu, Forest Park Community
College, Sheila Onuska, Cooperating School
Districts, and Dr. Chingling Tai, St. Louis
University High School. George Tsai, publisher,
May Wu, director, Francis Yueh, chief editor,
and Rich Yueh, photographer also attended.
Dr. Mary Cohen visited
St. Louis Chinese American News.
Mary Cohen博士、Alan Franklin、戴慶齡博士與時報人員合影
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