Source Note: “Interview with Senator Joanne Verger (D-Coos Bay)”

March 5, 2009 in Research Project

Title: Interview with Senator Joanne Verger (D-Coos Bay)

Summary: Oregon state senator Joanne Verger feels 

Topic: Should the Obama Administration reform the No Child Left Behind Act?

Category: Citizen; Phone Interview; Stakeholder

Publication Information: N/A

Author: Thomas Moriarty, interviewer, and Senator Joanne Verger, subject.

Location: N/A

Accessed: March 5, 2009

Support:

• Question: What are the problems have you and your constituents have noted about No Child Left Behind? Answer: “The teachers say that they have to spend so much time preparing students for the [state standardized] tests, that they can’t adequately prepare the students in other, non-tested areas … I taught a class at North Bend [OR] High School for two terms, and the students said they felt they were being forced to spend too much time preparing for the tests … We need to take into account differences in learning styles.”
• Question: Do you think there should be more dialogue between the state and federal government regarding No Child Left Behind? Answer: “Yes, but it needs to be through the state Department of Education. It couldn’t be the legislature–it would need to be between professionals in the field. But I think it is definitely necessary to make any progress with the law.”

Audience and Agenda: Joanne Verger is an Oregon state senator from the town of Coos Bay, representing District 5 in the state legislature in Salem. A Democrat, Joanne served as the mayor of Coos Bay for four terms, before being elected to the House of Representatives in 2001. After serving four terms as a Representative, she was elected to the Senate in 2004, and is currently serving her second term, after being reelected in 2008.

Usefulness: My interview with Senator Verger provides a counterpoint to other elected officials supportive argumentation for the No Child Left Behind Act. The specific examples cited by Senator Verger demonstrate how individual schools are forced to compromise on the idea of a “well-rounded” education in their attempt to meet federal proficiency goals.

Works cited:

“Biography,” http://www.leg.state.or.us/verger/bio.htm

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