Reform the schools

[RightOnRed]

NCLB: Fix the flaws
Saturday, April 14, 2007

Ohio students already took plenty of standardized tests even before President Bush's landmark education reform, No Child Left Behind.

But the 2002 measure certainly accelerated the state's efforts to make districts accountable for results - and to make it harder for schools to hide their trouble spots.

No wonder, then, that some leaders here and nationwide want to strip NCLB of many of its powers as the law comes up for congressional reauthorization this year. Some complain that the law requires too much paperwork. Others insist the measure amounts to federalization of local education. And the largest groups rail that Congress failed to provide the dollars necessary to meet the law's lofty aims. Will the collective weight of these protests bury the nation's most ambitious education program in decades?

The short answer is "no."

Look at the law's chief advocates: George W. Bush and Edward Kennedy. The president and Democratic senator don't agree on much, but this measure still has their full support. True, Kennedy would like to see lots more money behind it, and Bush would favor giving parents greater choices beyond their neighborhood public schools. Even so, both are quick to acknowledge the substantial academic progress reaped over the past five years - and the desperate need to accelerate those gains to remain globally competitive.

Often overlooked amidst the complaints are positive changes many now take for granted. Thanks to NCLB, parents now have more information about how their schools serve students. Districts that focus only on the smartest students and neglect the rest now are sanctioned. Those that focus only on one race of students, or ignore those in poverty, also lose.

The law isn't perfect. Complaints that non-English-speaking students face tests too soon deserve greater debate. Worries that largely successful schools can face severe sanctions for narrow failings also merit attention. But these issues involve adjustments, not a complete overhaul.

Congress should address NCLB's shortcomings but keep its essence intact. On balance, the law has raised the bar for achievement and accountability. The progress it has spurred must continue.

http://www.cleveland.com/politics/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/opinion/1176540040101781.xml&coll=2

They should just call it "Every inconvenient fact swept under the rug".