No child left... where?
No Child Left Inside is the name of the legislation recently introduced by U.S. Rep. John P. Sarbanes. As the Maryland congressman's press release explains, the No Child Left Behind Act has led to such emphasis on standardized tests that school kids aren't getting outside much anymore for recess, field trips and "outdoor environmental activities." No Child Left Inside would change that, requiring states to submit plans showing the "environmental literacy" of their high school graduates and providing new money both for states to advance environmental education and for teacher training in the subject. Sarbanes intends for the legislation to be included in the reauthorized version of No Child Left Behind. It's being backed by the "No Child Left Inside Coalition," made up of groups including the Sierra Club, the National Wildlife Federation, and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
Sarbanes isn't the only one who thinks the slogan is catchy. In Connecticut, Gov. M. Jodi Rell has launched the No Child Left Inside initiative to encourage families to visit the state's parks and other outdoor attractions.
Baltimoresun.com's 
Comments
There’s a (relatively) new book, "How Computer Games Help Children Learn" that talks about the problems of No Child Left Behind--and what we might do instead about education. The book describes about how No Child Left Behind is taking our schools in the exact opposite direction from where they need to go in the age of computer technology and global capitalism—and how the new technologies of computer and video games can help get schools (and students!) where they need to go. From the introduction:
“Young people in the United States today are being prepared—in school and at home—for standardized jobs in a world that will, very soon, punish those who can’t innovate. Our government and our schools have made a noble effort to leave no child behind: to ensure, through standardized testing, that all children make adequate yearly progress in basic reading and math skills. But we can’t “skill and drill” our way to innovation. Standardized testing produces standardized skills.... But... here’s the good news: The very same technologies that are making it possible to outsource commodity jobs make it possible for students of all ages to prepare for innovative work.... and this book is about how we can use computer and video games to do just that....”
Interestingly, one of the games discussed in the book is about environmental understanding and ecological thinking....
Posted by: Dr D | August 8, 2007 10:55 PM