NCLB at a Crossroads:
One of the areas where Democrats and Republications seem to be general agreement is that No Child Left Behind law of the Bush-era needs to be overhauled.
The “NCLB at a Crossroads” article in the NY Times notes:
“Dozens of major education groups representing teachers, principals, superintendents, school boards, businesses and civil rights groups are urging Congress and the Obama administration to rewrite the law.”
“Because it [NCLB] requires every student to be proficient in math and reading by 2014, the system has already labeled thousands of schools as failing, often because disabled students or recent immigrants have been unable to pass state tests.”
“‘Unless we change the law, it’ll label every school in the country a failure, even though there are lots of phenomenal schools out there,’ Mr. Duncan said.”
“Mr. Kline [a Minnesota Republican who will be the chairman of the House education committee] echoed those concerns. ‘We’ve got a law that’s out there affecting schools in a negative way,’ he said. ‘So absolutely, the law’s accountability system will have to change.'”