NCLB needs to be replaced

A great letter from the Petuluma (CA) Argus-Courier

How long will it finally take until we realize that pouring more money into enforcement of this law, and that tweaking its most egregious problems, will get our public education system nowhere? NCLB needs to be replaced with a genuine national commitment to the education of our children, a commitment that’s designed to provide a public school environment for our children that promotes creativity and critical thinking. I can’t believe that any administrator or legislator actually buys the notion that turning our children into minimally- to high-scoring standardized test-takers will keep America safe from its enemies and our citizens competitive in the global economy, and will maintain our fragile position as the leader of the free world.

Some administrators will continue to defend this law, its testing mandates, and its punitive stance. Some will continue to blame its problems on lack of funding. Until, that is, enough of us with children in this system let it be known that we don’t want our education resources wasted in this way, and that we want real change in both the way we educate our public school students, and in how we measure their improvement.

Here! Here!