Secretary of Education Rod Paige discussed the future of Dartmouth's educational research programs in a speech Wednesday and defended the nation's No Child Left Behind Act as necessary component in the struggle for school accountability.
Paige's visit to Dartmouth also served as a way of inaugurating the new home of the Education Department, now in Raven House, Education professor Kevin Dunbar said.
Paige praised the newly-renovated building.
"It is a cathedral of learning," Paige said. He congratulated Dartmouth's administration for making "a sound investment."
Paige reiterated the main points of the No Child Left Behind Act and its goal to "make it fair not only for some children, but for all children."
Emphasizing the need to hold schools responsible in order to give all children education equal opportunities, Paige added that if schools have low expectations of their students, "such attitudes will become self-fulfilling."
Paige also outlined the historical background behind the No Child Left Behind Act and addressed the main points of criticism against it.
In 1994, only 11 states endorsed a similar accountability plan. Unlike a 1994 law, which avoided the discussion of providing additional funding for education, "there is nothing under funded" about the No Child Left Behind Act, Paige said repeatedly throughout his speech.
A higher standard of education can be achieved by recruiting more qualified teachers and conducting research that tests teaching techniques, according to Paige.
Each state, though, has its own way to determine whether a teacher is qualified based on certification and demonstrated occupational competence, Paige said during a question-and-answer session.
The Teacher Advancement Project, which offers higher wages in exchange for higher teacher accountability, has been one way to attract more teachers to needy areas, he said. As a result, many teachers have "flocked to the poor side of town."
Research would help teachers "learn more about students and how students learn," Paige said. He cited Dartmouth's research on the ability of the brain to acquire information as "a new frontier" in education.
One of the key questions that Paige answered related to the danger of focusing attention on scores rather than on real knowledge of the material.
Paige's response was that under No Child Left Behind, students are tested on content and not on their ability to take a test.
During the reception immediately following the speech, many of the people interviewed by The Dartmouth said Paige's description of the No Child Left Behind Act left them confident that it is an effective means of improving education.
"He made it clear that it is a good program," Natasha Mulko'07, said.
Others remained ambivalent.
"I am curious as to where it's going to go beyond this year," Paola Peacock-Villada '03 said.
"I know it talks about assessment tools, but I am very curious to see once these tools for assessment are established, and once that assessment takes place, how they will go about fixing the problems."
Some who attended the speech, though, were more skeptical.
"I have my reservations," Kristin Burdge '04 said. "I think it has excellent goals. I am just not sure if it legitimately holds itself accountable to these goals."
