NCLB – No Culture Left Behind, Jason Finley, ExEd/Principal Certification Program

Vermont’s cultural base and sources of heritage are rapidly vanishing. With them vanishes a sense of place for our communities, a sense of identity for our children—a knowing of their local heritage and their place in the global community.

No longer is the iconic image of the small town in the valley a bastion of deep community roots. No longer is the dairy farm a cornerstone of Vermont’s economy. No longer are sugaring, mowing hay, and deer camp focal points of conversations at the general store or post office. No longer are there stark distinctions between individuals from the Mettowee Valley and the Northeast Kingdom. Vermont is changing. That is inevitable. But, this does not inherently imply the loss of our distinct and unique culture.

Our distinctive heritage, both the tangible and the intangible, is undergoing assimilation into the more prevalent cultures of southern New England, the East Coast, and America as a whole. Vermont is being homogenized—and, we are not talking about our milk. It is becoming nearly impossible to tell the difference between a woodchuck and a flatlander. This might sound trivial and humorous but, if you consider the potential loss of the myriad of unique American subcultures on a national scale it becomes frightening.

Admittedly, there are efforts to ensure that we are preserving the tangible aspects of Vermont’s culture. There are many groups dedicated to the conservation of structures and the filling of historical museums. But, who are the stewards of the intangibles—the traditional practices, skills, pastimes, oral histories, methods of self-sustainability, and entertainment that created the basis of our culture? Where have they gone?

They are still here. They are the teachers in our local schools. But, they are being asked to teach to a new standard in No Child Left Behind. Some people with very good intentions are bringing a “oneness” and a “sameness” to the educational system.

No Child Left Behind was created to “eliminate the achievement gap”. This act is decent and good in its intent. But, it is wrongly forcing educators into a standardization of education. By standardizing education it is eliminating an untold number of avenues for children to truly connect to their education through familiar and relevant means.

Our natural surroundings and local communities in Vermont are essential elements of who we are as individuals. These common possessions are the things that help us to form our individual identities and to understand our place in the greater world. It is these things we relate to and gives importance and meaning to our education. Does anyone question that it is easier for a student to understand the peril of our entire planet if they appreciate and understand concepts of sustainability in local ecosystems that they have played in, that their food comes from, and that their parents rely on either directly or indirectly for an income?

As we lose the opportunities to exert local control over how and what our children learn in our local schools the opportunities to teach the intangibles of our local heritage will disappear. When cultural heritage is no longer relevant in a child’s most influential years what is the chance that that culture will survive?

What cultural connections does NCLB make? From where does it draw its sense of place and relationships with communities? To come to my point, I believe that in order to eliminate the achievement gap in education the first and most important thing that needs to be done is to make education relevant to those being educated. And, a nice byproduct may be the preserving what remains of a unique cultural heritage.