Congressman gets firsthand look at school challenges [Appleton Post-Crescent]
Kagen meets with teachers, pupils in New London
By Rachel Rausch • Post-Crescent West
NEW LONDON — After meeting with teachers and students last Friday and listening to their concerns about facets of the country’s education system, U.S. Rep. Steven Kagen said he plans to “take some of the spirit back to Congress.”
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Kagen, D-Appleton, was invited to tour Readfield and Lincoln elementary schools to see firsthand some of the struggles the district is facing regarding decreased funding and the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act, more commonly known as “No Child Left Behind.”
The Congressman spent part of his morning at Readfield school, where he read to kindergartners and solved math problems with fifth-graders. He also met with teachers who presented a growth model test they believe would more accurately chart student achievement and allow them to adjust instruction in the classroom immediately to help students who are falling behind…
Kagen met students in bilingual and special education classrooms and shook hands and high-fived students in the hallways. He appeared to be in his element as he chatted and joked with students and staff, stressing the importance of education. But aside from his upbeat demeanor, Kagen became more serious when he said it’s imperative that “we invest in the children.”
“The schools I visited today have the same problems as those across the country,” he said. “It’s time to fix and fully fund ‘No Child Left Behind.’
“If we get education right, everything else will follow, but if we get education wrong, nothing else will matter. I believe in lifelong learning and I’m getting a great education here today.”
