Old law left behind?
President Bush has said that "No Child Left Behind" will be a cornerstone of his legacy. And perhaps historians will give the President's education reform an A. But we doubt it.
Scores of educators and legislators are contemptuous of NCLB, and that reaction was manifested anew this week. Though all were invited, only about 15 of the 50 state school superintendents went to hear Education Secretary Margaret Spellings explain important changes in application of the law.
NCLB's critics resent federal micro-management of education without reference to local circumstances, and they resent even more the failure to fund NCLB's demands fully.
Now Ms. Spellings is heralding a new day that will include significant changes. ...
...Unfortunately, given how rarely the Bush administration caves in, these attempts to fix NCLB may be the best that anyone can expect.
Frustration with the law has festered so broadly, and so deeply, that almost all reaction to the changes is cautious at best...
...One fairly upbeat superintendent was moved to say, "I hope it's more than a speech."
We hope so, too. We hope even more fervently that it's not true, as some of NCLB's critics insist, that the law was "built to prove failure," thus helping turn America's public education system over to private alternatives.
This from the Courier-Journal.
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