Are some children -- and states -- being left behind?

The Associated Press

Hard at work in the 21st century classroom.

Featured Topic | Posted 36 weeks 4 days ago

Are some children -- and states -- being left behind?

The Bush administration, acknowledging that the federal "No Child Left Behind" law is diagnosing too many public schools as failing, said this week that it would relax the law’s provisions for some states, allowing them to distinguish schools with a few problems from those that need major surgery.

Is this the death knell for "No Child?" Is it a good idea in need of fixing, or is it time to try a new approach to educating our kids?

Ben likes: First things first

Investor's Business Daily

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Joel likes: Leaving "No Child" behind

Richard Rothstein/The American Prospect

The next president has a unique opportunity to start from scratch in education policy, without the deadweight of a failed, inherited No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law. The new president and Congress can recapture the "small d" democratic mantle by restoring local control of education, while initiating policies for which the federal government is uniquely suited -- providing better achievement data and equalizing the states' fiscal capacity to provide for all children. This opportunity exists because NCLB is dead. It will not be reauthorized -- not this year, not ever.