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Education Commissioner Lyonel Tracy
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  We conclude our series with New Hampshire commissioners with Education Department chief Lyonel Tracy. We’ll talk with him about the struggle over federal standards, the dropout rate and what role he thinks his department should play in the state’s ongoing school funding debate. Web resources:
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Hello Laura Knoy and Lyonel Tracy
As a parent of a 5th grader, I spend 2 1/2 hours a week in his school volunteering in the library as well as facilitating a special project in the classroom.
I find the teachers and staff are professional and dedicated, however the disruptive behavior of approximately twenty percent of the students seriously hinders the opportunity for most of the students to move from proficient to proficient with distinction and those that are proficient with distinction receive little if any support to advance to their potential.
It has certainly been our experience this year in our childs classroom that No Child Left Behind act is addressing the needs of those children who are below or partial achievers, but leaves behind the proficient and proficient with distinction.
What can you do to assist with behavior issues in the classrooms so that our children can learn to their potential rather than spending too much time waiting for teachers to redirect disruptive students back to the lessons?
Thank you for your attention.
I was disappointed to hear that the commissioner, in all of his time as a superintendant, never allowed a parent with a capable child, the opportunity to go to school when they did not meet the age criteria. Each community seems to have a birthday cut-off by which the child needs to be usually five years old to attend kindergarten. Does every child lose their first teeth on their sixth birthday? Does ever child start puberty at exactly the same age? Of course not. It is likewise true that some children whose birthday is close to, but not before the cut-off day, are ready for school. Every child is different, they're not made from the same mold. Limiting their opportunities demotivates them so that they become underachievers and lowers their sense of self-worth. It certainly does not enable them to reach their potential. Let's think outside the box! Thank you.