No Child Left Behind

WASHINGTON — With the clock ticking, federal education officials fear that calamity awaits.
If Congress doesn't move quickly to change the No Child Left Behind law, they project that a whopping 82 percent of the nation's public schools could fail to meet proficiency targets this year, facing sanctions that ultimately can include a loss of federal aid. That's up from 37 percent last year.

Beset with a case of the jitters, Education Secretary Arne Duncan is warning of “a slow-moving educational train wreck for children, parents and teachers” – and he's not waiting for the crash.

With Congress showing no signs of meeting a request by President Obama to overhaul the law by this fall, Duncan said he'll use executive authority to waive some requirements of the law, essentially freeing states from any harsh consequences if their schools fail to meet the federal testing requirements.

His threat has set off a clash on Capitol Hill, where key lawmakers say it would be a mistake to bypass Congress. They're not particularly eager to relinquish their authority to the executive branch.

Click to expand...

CbusPaul said:

Duncan said he'll use executive authority to waive some requirements of the law.
The law may be horrible and need to be replaced. However, I have issues with an unelected bureaucrat having authority to waive parts of the law that they have issues with. Congress should deal with this, in their absence the law should be left as they passed it.

Click to expand...

Master slacker said:

Remember, parents, the school is not the sole entity responsible for a child's education...

Click to expand...

Exengineer said:

What I can't understand is how the U.S. has supposedly a poor public education system and such great universities. Who allowed that to happen? I would state without hesitation that the teaching I received in high school (Grades 9-12) was superior to what I received in a public university. Most university courses are taught either by full professors who can barely conceal their boredom at having to deal with undergraduates when they would prefer to be involved in their research projects or by teaching assistants who are merely grad students working for their PhD and not professional teachers. I had the advantage of attending a high school with some very dedicated and passionate teachers in chemistry, physics, algebra, history who would shame some university professors in a head to head comparison.

Click to expand...

Kephart P.E. said:

In public schools 1-12 grades they spoon feed everything to you so that you can pass mandatory tests like NCLB. The teachers make it as easy as they can for you so they can ensure federal or state funding because that is where the money is.

Click to expand...