Several recent stories point to the flaws in the federal No Child Left Behind Act which is being reauthorized this year. The law, which holds schools and districts to annual education goals and seeks to improve the achievement gap between white and minority students and higher-income and disadvantaged students, has been controversial for years, but it seems that a new backlash is gaining steam. Time Magazine reports on what happened to one underperforming student at a prestigious public high school when she wasn’t meeting expectations. The Washington Post recently reported that many lawmakers and education experts think the law’s goal of getting all students to proficiency levels by 2013-2014 is unrealistic. Education Week writes that President Bush, who views the No Child Left Behind Act as one of his key domestic accomplishments, is inflating the law’s progress.
The result? This story from Education Week details a growing Republican revolt in Congress against the bi-partisan law. The Washington Post has a similar story here. The education blogs are chattering about all this, of course. To immerse yourself in the conversations about the political viability of the No Child Left Behind Act, check out Eduwonk, the Quick and the Ed, and NCLBlog (the American Federation of Teachers’ blog), among others.