NCLB Called "Beyond Repair"

[Bob Schaeffer <bobschaeffer@earthlink.net>]

   "NO CHILD" LAW IS CALLED "BEYOND REPAIR"
ON FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF "FUNDAMENTALLY FLAWED" PLAN, EX-BUSH EDUCATION 
OFFICIAL DOES ABOUT-FACE
Salt Lake Tribune -- January 10, 2006
by Nicole Stricker

   A former Bush administration education official has fueled the No 
Child Left Behind debate by withdrawing his support of the controversial 
education reform law.
   Michael Petrilli was a U.S. Department of Education associate 
assistant deputy secretary who helped promote the education reform law. 
But as Bush officials were hailing the law on its fifth anniversary 
Monday, blogs buzzed about an article Petrilli released Friday.
   "I've gradually and reluctantly come to the conclusion that NCLB as 
enacted is fundamentally flawed and probably beyond repair," Petrilli, 
the current vice president at the education reform-minded Fordham 
Foundation, wrote for the foundation's The Education Gadfly news site. 
"NCLB has 'changed the conversation' in education . . . But let's face 
it: It doesn't help the dedicated principal who is pulling her hair out 
because of the law's nonsensical provisions."
   Petrilli's criticism was a sea change. He characterized himself as a 
"true believer" in the law, which can withhold federal funding from 
schools if too many students flub standardized math or reading tests.
   Although Petrilli spent five years promoting it, he said he had 
doubts about aspects of the law from the beginning. Among them: 
requiring districts to hire only "highly qualified teachers" who had 
degrees in their subject areas, and allowing states to define 
"proficiency" as they saw fit. "Other flaws," Petrilli wrote, "took me 
longer to appreciate."
   He still agrees with the spirit and goals of the law, but realized 
the federal government can't force states and school districts to do 
things they don't want to do and "it's impossible to force them to do 
those things well."
   "Using sticks and carrots to tug and prod states and districts in 
desired directions has proven unworkable," Petrilli wrote. "Instead of 
this muddle, the feds should adopt a simple, radical principle: Do it 
yourself or don't do it at all."
   Petrilli wasn't the only one critiquing the law on its birthday. 
Several groups used the occasion to promote or pan the law, which is due 
for congressional review this year.
   A Harris poll in December found that 57 percent of Americans would 
support renewing the act. Of the 2,300 participating adults, 61 percent 
of Republicans, 60 percent of Democrats and 47 percent of Independents 
voiced support.
   Bush has characterized the act's renewal as a chance to forge common 
ground with Democrats. During a Monday morning speech to education and 
business leaders, Education Secretary Margaret Spellings highlighted the 
law's successes and called reauthorization "one of the President's top 
priorities."
   Similarly, Rep. George Miller, a California Democrat and the 
incoming chairman of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, 
has called renewing the law "a very, very high priority."
   Yet in a Fordham poll of Washington "education insiders," 11 of the 
12 respondents were betting reauthorization would stall until after the 
2008 presidential election. The insiders also didn't expect major 
changes, saying tweaks to the law would likely formalize pilot programs 
already under way.
   Those forecasts haven't slowed NCLB opponents, who began calling for 
an overhaul before Democrats took over Congress. In November, Utah's 
state schools superintendent, Patti Harrington, urged Utah's 
congressional delegation to demand revisions.
   Such calls increased as Monday's anniversary approached, most 
notably with last week's statement from the Forum on Educational 
Accountability. The group, which calls for major changes in the law, 
comprises 100 national advocacy groups, including the National Council 
of Churches, the National Urban League, the NAACP and several national 
education associations.
   The consortium outlined 14 changes it wants to see. Among them: 
replacing "over-reliance on standardized tests" with "multiple 
achievement measures," replacing "arbitrary proficiency targets" with 
goals based on success rates in the most effective public schools, and 
increasing funding to cover "a substantial percentage" of costs incurred 
by states and districts.
   The League of United Latin American Citizens, which joined the forum 
last year, worries funding for other worthy programs gets squeezed out 
because of the federal Education Department's obsession with NCLB.
   "There are many other factors that go into creating an excellent 
educational environment," said Brent Wilkes, the league's executive 
director. "There needs to be a more holistic approach and it can't just 
be all about the test."
  
      http://www.sltrib.com/education/ci_4976188