NCLB Should Not Be Reauthorized In 2007

The No Child Left Behind Act has been a five-year debacle of unaccountability and wasted prospects, proving that the federal government does not have the capabilities to handle something as complex as the education of our children.

Its heavy-handed intrusion into public education with a testing system has done nothing but politicize education while robbing from educators their abilities to comprehensively teach.

Although it is expected that NCLB will be renewed, perhaps with some revisions to entice the general public to shy away from yelling “Uncle” just yet, the continued power sweep of the feds into our classrooms would be a dangerous mistake.

The nature of the problem of lifting minorities and the poor to higher educational standards remains misunderstood in Washington, since the life issues behind these problems are not being addessed, and, in fact, are being expanded upon as the gap between economic classes grows.

One size does not fit all, which probably depicts the greatest blunder, but also harrowing is the insane idea that teaching to a test defines education and the best tools of enforcement are threats to decrease funding if certain irrational mandates are not met.

It is also a matter of priority.

Outside of education, look at how Congress and The White House has spent the money of taxpayers, which does not set a good example for students of economics.

With poverty and its tributaries key issues that play into the lack of resources column, which deeply impacts education, Congress chose instead to provide excessive no-bid contracts and invest in war, while carrying the U.S. deeply into debt.

It was a choice.

Proponents of NCLB have been grappling with identifying what some have perceived as an achievement gap and redefining it, whittlling down comprehensive education in the process. Students are being terrorized and dumbed down to fit into a society that is being dumbed down economically.

The premise behind NCLB was that public education was broken, requiring the federal government to whip it into place. The ultimate goal, of course, is to make it necessary to privatize public education.

NCLB has failed our students and our nation.

Its renewal would be a vote against our states, our school districts, and, most important, our future generations of Americans.