Merge Integration With Accountability -- Or Let It Go

Kudos to Emily Bazelon for her Sunday NYT magazine piece The Next Kind of Integration, which gives a clear update on the recent changes in the law and how districts are responding.  (As an editor at Slate, Bazelon is also kind enough to look at and occasionally greenlight my story ideas.)

That being said, I don't think that the strategies outlined in the piece stand much chance of working.

In essence, Bazelon seems to be suggesting that, as in Louisville, carefully-created systems that use economic class as well as race can meet the law's requirements and, by grandfathering in some students, remain practically and politically viable. 

While I have no real objection, I think it's extremely optimistic to think that this could happen on a national scale.  Racial or economic integration is no longer really an option for many urban districts without a radical shift to larger (city-suburban) districts or the massive return of white families to city schools[, a point Bazelon makes].  Neither of those things seems to be on the horizon. Ditto for any type of pro-integration mandate from the courts.

Even in places where it might still be numerically possible, I'd remind us all that if we've learned anything from NCLB at all it's that "receiving" schools don't like to take in new kids -- especially if they're minority, low-income, low-achieving, or all of the above.  This we already know. 

To make academic or class-based integration viable, lawmakers would need to create a special provision or reward for schools that increase their proportion of low-income or minority kids -- protecting them from getting slapped down by short term performance but still holding them accountable after the first year.  Without something along those lines, it feels to me that talking about integration is increasingly nostalgic and quite possibly a waste of time. 

"A Good Reason to Support No Child Left Behind"

"As a general rule of thumb, if there's any policy proposal that is opposed by both the Texas Republican Party and the American Federation of Teachers, it's probably a good idea."

A Good Reason to Support No Child Left Behind

NJ Raises Minimum Cut Scores From 33 To 50+ Percent

Kudos to New Jersey.  You don't see this very often:

State raises minimum standards on proficiency tests
NJ Star-Ledger

The change raised the so-called "cut scores" for proficiency to at least 50 percent in the four affected grades, and also raised the requirements to be considered "advanced proficient."

In New Jersey and many other states, cut scores have been set notoriously low with the advent of increased testing and, especially, No Child Left Behind, which requires schools to reach proficiency targets in reading and math or face possible sanctions.

[Of course, the state standard and test rigor may still be low.]

NCLB The Web Of Blame

Direct Effects (for better or worse)
Increased focus on reading and math
Annual state testing
Increased federal funding
After school tutoring
Kids getting recruited for the war in Iraq

Unintended or Indirect Effects
Teacher anxiety over test consequences
Narrowing of the curriculum towards basic skills
Focus on bubble kids closest to passing exams

Ridiculous and Unrelated Effects (including those actually claimed)
Students being held back a year in school
Students failing to graduate because of exit exams
Kids throwing up over test anxiety
Removal of ineffective teachers  (I wish!)
Teen pregnancy in Gloucester, MA
School violence, bullying
Childhood obesity, depression
The war in Iraq

Mainstream Takes On NCLB Study

Here are some different snippets from mainstream coverage of the CEP report to ponder and parse:

Report: Racial gap narrows, but what did No Child law do? USA Today
What the law clearly has done — the change some identify as its most notable benefit — is give researchers and parents the data to track student progress.

Alabama follows national trend of closing achievement gaps among students in lower grades, but widens gap in high school reading. Birmingham News
Alabama's elementary and middle school students are making strides in closing the achievement gaps in math and reading by race and income level, according to a national report released Tuesday.

Since NCLB Law, Test Scores on Rise EdWeek
Students??? math and reading achievement is improving, and the gap between minority and white children is narrowing, a new study indicates.

Test Results Improve After 'No Child' Law, Study Finds Washington Post
Because standards vary from state to state, some analysts have questioned the reliability of state tests as a gauge of academic performance.

School achievement in Tennessee gets better, study says Chattanooga Times
Although there were far more instances of achievement gaps narrowing between student groups, Mr. Jennings said, in Tennessee, that gap widened for both poor students and black students in elementary reading test scores

Study Says Student Reading and Math Scores Are Improving US News
The study shows some states like Tennessee with large numbers of proficient students but, because each state gets to create its own standards, that can mean a state's academic standards are too easy.

NEA: Test Scores Improving in Spite of NCLB THE Journal
According to the  NEA, any improvements in student test scores may have come in spite of NCLB rather than because of it.

How To Spin The Latest Report Results

Let the spinning and bloviating begin!

The CEP just put out a big report on state test score increases since 2002 (here), with comparisons to NAEP results.

Chairman Miller responds below.

Your basic options would seem to be:

(a) Test results mean nothing, I tell you.
(b) These results aren't all that good, really.
(c) NCLB works!
(d) I question the motives of all involved.

UPDATE:  NEA presser below

Holy McClellan! USDE Official Regrets Her Actions On NCLB

A big group of education types led by EPI and joined by former USDE official Susan Neuman have come together and signed statement calling for a broader, bolder approach to education -- specifically working beyond NCLB and beyond the schoolhouse doors (No Child Left Behind: Doomed to Fail? TIME).  It's not a full-on slam against NCLB, though, praising as it does the disaggregation requirements in the law.  But its main focus is outside traditional K12 education, including preschool afterschool health service and parent education.

Seventeen States Submit Differention Pilot Proposals

Check out the newsletter from Cheryl Sattler's new education consulting company, Ethica, for a backgrounder on where Title I schoolwide programs came from (newsletter here) and a link to 17 state differentiation pilot plans that have been submitted under the "new" NCLB. 

So Much For "It Can't Be Done."

This school didn't just meet AYP, it met the 100 percent proficiency mark.

"We think of MSA as the floor, as sort of the basics of what all students should be doing," Principal Irene Kordick said. "We shoot for the ceiling."

School In Ocean City Nails Its Target Washington Post

I wonder how many other schools have achieved 100 percent proficiency or thereabouts -- and why it took the mainstream news so long to find these kinds of examples, given how, er, proficient they have been at finding examples of failure.

Not All Ed Associations Oppose Incentive Pay

Think most ed groups and every ed association are all against incentive pay?  So did I.  But then I found out that the 175,000-member ASCD supports incentive pay and has endorsed the Teacher Excellence for All Children (TEACH) Act (Incentive Pay for Teachers Is an Option (Take 2).  ASCD supports incentive pay and performance pay, for individuals as well as schools.  As long as it's voluntary, not based on a single test, and determined locally.  Sure, it's not a traditional association like the AASA or the Chiefs, but it's worth noting.

Charters More Popular Than NCLB, Says Pro-Charter Anti-NCLB Group

It'd be a lot more credible if it wasn't the folks at Fordham making the claim that NCLB is a lot less popular among big-city newspaper editorial pages than charter schools.  Fordham is notoriously pro-charter and anti-NCLB (well, since Mike turned in his NCLB pin). 

But it's still interesting to look at Fordham's handy-dandy chart of where the editorial pages fall out on the NCLB-charter school matrix, and of course to be reminded that public opinion against NCLB is only 43 percent.  (Take that, NCLB-haters.)

Link: Opinion Leaders or Laggards?.

 

Few Schools & Districts In NCLB Restructuring

Amazing to realize that so few schools and districts are in restructuring, given all the hullabaloo you hear and read:

School districts start to face sanctions under landmark law Associated Press
Nationwide, 411 school districts in 27 states now face intervention. California has 97 school districts that failed to meet their goals under the law for four years, more than twice as many failing districts as any other state so far. Kentucky has the next highest number facing sanctions, with 47.

No Child Left Behind Lacks Bite Wall Street Journal
About 1,300 schools out of 99,000 public schools were in restructuring during the 2006-2007 school year, the most recent tally. More than 400 schools have emerged from restructuring by demonstrating progress.

State eyes No Child compromise Florida Times-Union
Georgia education officials are hoping to win a spot in a pilot program that would allow the state to treat less harshly than others some school districts that fall short of federal standards.

Cooking The Books -- Not Just An Education Thing

Think that gaming the numbers is something that only happens in education or maybe crime?  Think again.  Last weekend's On The Media show on NPR included this segment (Cooking the Books).  In it, an economist explains how the government's economic measures (like unemployment) have, over time, been softened to make things look better than they really are.  The real unemployment rate, for example, is roughly double what the reported number is.  And the media goes along with it.  It's apparently called the Polyanna Effect.

Schools Still "Reclassifying" Kids To Look Better On NCLB

Imagine if someone walked up to you (or your child) and asked if they could call you white instead of black, or Native American instead of Hispanic.  You'd be startled, I'm guessing, and probably want to know why.  Now imagine that they told you it was so that they would look better under NCLB. 

Kudos to the Sacramento Bee for its recent analysis of California schools using NCLB loopholes to -- big surprise -- make themselves look better under the law (Schools reclassify students, pass test under federal law).  Eighty schools flipped from not making AYP to passing muster last year by reclassifying kids' subgroup status to get below the subgroup minimum (100 kids!).  It's an August "cleaning" of the data that schools in many states go through.  It's also a loophole that the newly proposed NCLB regulations may help close, finally.

Racial identification is a complicated thing, no doubt, but shouldn't be motivated by a desire to game the accountability system. 

NCLB Good, NCLB Bad

S & C Comments on The Proposed NCLB Regs Charlie Barone
We think it’s generally a good package, but falls short in a few key areas. We’re sure she knows that she is in for a rough ride. And we wish her luck.

You, Too, Can Voice Opinions on NCLB Rules The Hoff
Whether you're the mother of a special education student in Massachusetts or a school administrator in Kansas, you can voice your opinion.

Black no more Joanne Jacobs
Black students’ low test scores caused Will C. Wood Middle School to miss its No Child Left Behind goals. But the Sacramento school met NCLB after all by persuading parents of four previously “black” children to let the school reclassify their kids as white or American Indian.

Bracey Vs. Bracey

There's no backing down from Gerald Bracey, who wrote an inflammatory piece on the Huffington Post earlier this week.  In it, Bracey said, "I can only hope that people will one day look back on high-stakes testing the way they now look back at slavery -- in disgust and a with sense of horrified wonder: what were they thinking?"

Some of us thought that Bracey was equating high-stakes testing with slavery.  But that would be a misinterpretation, says Bracey.  "I did NOT link NCLB advocates to those who practiced slavery. I simply said that I hoped that we could one day look back at the insanity NCLB represents to how we now think about the practice of slavery."  You make the call.

No Child At Risk

"Moynihan, a social scientist, understood that social science tells us not what to do but what is not working, which today includes No Child Left Behind," says columnist George Will (Education Lessons We Left Behind) in today's Washington Post.

Slavery, The Holocaust, & NCLB

In an overheated commentary from the Huffington Post (Chew on This), Gerry Bracey compares those who developed and implemented NCLB to Nazis who should be brought up on war crimes charges, and high-stakes testing to slavery.  I wonder how descendants of those who were enslaved in the US or put to death during the Holocaust would feel about this. Opposing NCLB is fine, but these comparisons discredit legitimate criticism and seem unnecessarily offensive. Not to speak of easily made.  At least Kozol's hunger strike last year involved some degree of personal sacrifice (and at least Kozol has been at times inspiring).

Spellings: "States Will Game The System As Best They Can..."

Let's start with a Washington Post editorial on NCBL (No Reform Left Behind) praising the law's new flexibility -- within limits: "It's important, though, that any new rules not compromise the core principles of a law that has done much to address inequities in educational opportunity." Indeed. 

Then there's a typically soft interview with EdSec Spellings in Newsweek (hat tip to the Core Knowledge Blog) called ‘Things Can’t Go Back’.  Even in defeat, even with a giant mess on her hands, Spellings gets sympathetic press.  The other cabinet members must hate her for that.  There is juicy state-bashing good quote, though, where Spellings laments the future of NCLB:  "The loopholes will get larger...States will game the system as best they can in order to get out of doing what they should do to close the achievement gap."

Fixing Education

Slate magazine has a new article out about what should -- and shouldn't -- be done to fix education, including a mix of practical and pie-in-the-sky ideas for NCLB and the rest of the system written by a guy named Jim Ryan who's at the UVA School of Law.  I'll have more about it when I get a chance, but that shouldn't stop you from digging in. 

NCLB Causes Terrorism

Following up on an earlier story blaming NCLB for states' graduation rate games, here's Gerry Bracey blaming NCLB for a teacher who reportedly threatened students if they didn't score well on upcoming test (The Degeneration of American Education).  How is this NCLB's fault, again? 

Drink Too Much Last Night? Blame NCLB.

I like the fire and focus of this Boston Globe editorial about misleading high school graduation rates (How to lie with statistics), which I first worked on 10 years ago as part of US Senator Jeff Bingaman's dropout prevention initiative.  But it tells you just how much of a punching bag NCLB has become that the Globe is blaming the misleading practices of states on the law.  NCLB went as far as it could -- many would say too far -- in demanding uniformity and comparability among states on several fronts.  States have long known that their methods were individual and misleading to the public. Blaming NCLB suggests that states should only do what the USDE tells them, which sets an awfully low expectation and diverts attention from states' responsibilities.

Triage For Failing Schools -- The Coverage

Take your pick -- there are mostly minor differences among stories on the announcement from yesterday:

U.S. Eases ‘No Child’ Law as Applied to Some States NYT
“This is something good, something we’ve been advocating,” said Reg Weaver, president of the NEA, the teachers union.

US Eases 'No Child' Sanctions Washington Post
Jeff Simering, legislative director for the Washington-based Council of the Great City Schools, said he worries that urban schools will continue to face sanctions while suburban schools will get a break.

States to Get Leeway  on School Sanctions AP
The new initiative will allow states to distinguish between "on-fire schools and those with a smolder," Spellings said in an interview Monday.

Spellings Offers Latitude on Poor-Performing Schools EdWeek
The pilot project will be open to a state if the U.S. Department of Education has approved its assessment system and its plan to provide “highly qualified” teachers in every classroom.

Tomorrow's NCLB Announcement -- Today

My prediction for tomorrow's EdSec announcement in Minneapolis is that Spellings will -- finally -- unveil a more nuanced version of AYP ratings, so that it's clear which schools miss the mark by a mile and which miss it by an inch (not as many as you think, BTW).  She's already made SES changes.  There are only so many states that have the muscle to do growth models.  She's already talked about graduation rate uniformity and can't really do that on her own.  And everyone knows that the NCLB rating (and intervention) system need better differentiation.

UPDATE:  States to get leeway on school sanctions AP

PLUS:  USDE Press release and Spellings speech attached below.

ALSO:  My (bad) idea about a new school rating and evaluation system:    Divisional Matchups

FROM KENNEDY:  "Schools need more than new pilot programs to respond to No Child Left Behind’s challenges.  I commend Secretary Spellings for giving schools greater flexibility, but experience shows it won’t get us very far as long as the Bush Administration continues to shortchange its budget for school reform.”

March Madness: Divisional Matchups

Teachers often complain that it's not fair to compare their schools to other schools, based on differences in student demographics.  I'm not sure I agree with the notion -- and more than a few schools exceed or fail to meet demographic expectations. 

But what about creating NCAA-like divisions (I, II, III)  within public school systems based on student poverty, in order to help someone (educators) get past the poverty- achievement trap and help others (politicos) see that performance varies even with schools with similar demographics?

Under this format, schools in a district or state would match up against other similar schools, like in the NCAA tournament, where schools are organized by size.  Unlike in the NCAA tournament, however, divisions would have to be flexible so that schools would not be limited to certain achievement levels.   

Slow Down On NCLB Rewrite, Coalition Says

The Forum On Ed Accountability wants the Senate to slow down and let people look at their proposed revisions before marking anything up (still March 3, anyone?).  Click below for what the FEA has to say.  No word yet from the Committee on a markup date, or whether they're going to release anything more for folks to look at. 

Given the Miller experience last Fall, I can't imagine they'd want to put out a discussion draft or give folks so much time to load and fire.  But they can't do nothing -- that leaves too much room for Spellings to do the easy stuff and leaves them with an unbalanced agenda of leftovers.  (You want to tighten up on restructuring, for example, at the same time you ease up on schools that "just miss" AYP.) Plus which, there's the whole issue of maintaining turf. 

Previous Posts:
 How Spellings Strategy Could Screw Up Future NCLB Changes
 Rumored March 3rd Senate Markup For NCLB
 New NCLB Language Out From Kennedy-Enzi
 NCLB Now?

More Math And Reading, Less Of Everything Else

Not as much news coverage or blogging about the new CEP report on instructional time as last year:

Reading, math eat up class hours Baltimore Sun
The report released yesterday by the Center on Education Policy shows that some school districts increased math and reading time by as much as 150 minutes a week, while cutting time for social studies, science, music and art by one-third.

More Time for Math and Reading Equals Less for Other Subjects EdWeek
The findings offer further evidence that the No Child Left Behind law has led to sizable shifts in the curriculum.

Blog Posts:
CEP Adds Fuel to Fire of Curriculum Debate
Test Prep Mania in Our Schools: Who’s Really to Blame?

How Spellings Strategy Could Screw Up Future NCLB Changes

It's no big news that EdSec Spellings has the notion to revamp NCLB with or without a formal reauthorization, but this story from CQ (Bush Mints a Legacy) gives us some new details to chew on.  In particular, the piece points out that state plan approval could be used, along with directives and pilots and waivers we already know about.  Plus Spellings' secret weapon:  Acting Assistant Secretary of Education Douglas Mesecar (pictured).  However, if the USDE gives away the store -- implementing consensus items and offering states and districts sweeteners -- then it makes it all that much harder for Congress and a new President to get the other, harder stuff done in 2009.

UPDATE:  Is Assistant Sec higher or lower than Deputy Sec?  I forget (don't care).  In any case, congrats, condolences to Mesecar The Missile, per the email below. It's not how long you're there, remember, or whether you get anything done, but rather the title you have when you leave.  The rest is like your GPA -- no one remembers, no one cares. 

Rumored March 3rd Senate Markup For NCLB

There were apparently lots of people at Thursdays’ Aspen NCLB Commission reauthorization rally – a full room, Hill staff, and all the rest (see picture). “It was an NCLB lovefest,” remarked one observer. Tommy Thompson called for a "surge" on NCLB -- original, Tommy.  But not even CSPAN was there (still waiting for pics and video from Aspen), and none of the principals were there -- lawmakers, the EdSec, etc.  Behind the scenes, I’m told that Committee staff are actively making changes to the base language that has been floating around and was recently published online (see below). Staffers were by all accounts candid that the details and interests involved are highly complex.  I don't envy them.  The latest rumor is that they are aiming for a March 3rd markup on the Senate side, so get those comments in and cross your fingers that they're included in the base so you don't have to get someone to offer amendments.   Thanks to DD for his summary of the event and to others for writing in with your impressions and insights (and rumors).

NCLB Now?

As you already know, a bunch of groups have gotten together to argue for an immediate reauthorization of NCLB, including the Aspen Institute's Commission on NCLB and the Center On American Progress.

Attached is a two-pager from the Commission about what gets lost and what gets gained from a timely NCLB revamp Cost_of_nclb_final.pdf.

In addition, here's some of what Cindy Brown from CAP has to say: "If we don't reauthorize the law now, we postpone the opportunity to address such important issues as low high school graduation rates and additional help for struggling schools. These changes are needed now and Congress must act this year."

Why NCLB Needs Changing - Now

A bunch of education groups don't want Congress to wait on NCLB, and they're having an  event (next week) on January 31 in DC to make the point.  Check out all the details below.

Leaving NCLB alone does two bad things, I guess:  Lets EdSec Spellings continue to make up the law as she goes along -- treating the whole thing like one big recess appointment.  The parts she doesn't muck around with are left in their old, creaky form.

How, exactly, they intend get Congress to move on this, I don't know. 

Happy Birthday, NCLB -- Love, The NEA

According to wire service reports, the NEA-led case against NCLB has just today gained some traction.

As you may recall, a score or so of districts including Pontiac, Michigan and the NEA filed the suit. A lower court had rules against the plantiffs.  A federal appeals court revived the lawsuit, which challenged NCLB as an unfunded mandate. 

What a nice birthday present.    Bake 'em a cake, too, while you're at it.   

The Day Before NCLB's 6th Anniversary

The Chicago Sun-Times editorial page greets President Bush with this raspberry on the occasion of his arrival in the city this morning (Welcome to the city of Chicago):  "We thought the president should meet some of the children in Chicago who are left behind every day, especially in our high schools." 

Meanwhile, Ted Kennedy tries to get some control over the NCLB debate in this Washington Post oped (How To Fix 'No Child').  Lamenting NCLB's use as a political football(!), Kennedy outlines pros and cons of the current law -- you know this already -- and then slams the Bush administration for not funding the law enough. 

NCLB At Six -- A Week Of Spellings Celebrations

Today's NCLB anniversary event in Chicago isn't the only thing that's going on education-wise this week, according to the EdSec's official schedule. 

Tomorrow, Secretary Spellings will testify on NCLB in Florida.

Thursday she'll deliver remarks at the Press Club in DC.

Kennedy Shifting On NCLB Mirrors Miller -- Kozol Helped

While many of us mocked him for it at the time, Jonathan Kozol's partial fast in protest against NCLB got him and the issue a ton of press coverage -- smart like a fox! -- and may even have contributed to a turnaround of sorts by Sen. Ted Kennedy on NCLB.  The two met about 10 days ago, and the PURE blog links to the letter Kozol wrote about the encounter.  Of course, Kennedy like Miller has been long been girding himself for a politically necessary shift on NCLB, though not as publicly as Miller (who now practically flays the law he helped write).  EdWeek's David Hoff reports that Kennedy met with the teachers unions about NCLB recently, and that Miller's folks have taken down the old discussion drafts from September. 

NCLB Reality Check

Thanks to Fritz for reminding me that the National Assessment of Title I (NCLB) is out, and includes some findings that might serve as a reality check for those of us arguing for or against it.  According to the study, 75 percent of schools made AYP in 0405, and schools that didn't most often missed for all students or multiple subgroups, not a single group.  Title I funding is up 35 percent over the last seven years, adjusted for inflation.  Among states with three years of test data, the percentage scoring proficient rose for "most student subgroups in a majority of states" but not enough to get to 100 percent.  Use of the transfer option has doubled, and use of SES has increased tenfold. 

 

The Four Different "Meanings" Of Not Making AYP

As if there aren't already so many ways for schools to make or miss AYP, I realized recently that there are also several different ways that folks interpret what it means for a school that misses AYP.  And different groups seem to interpret not making AYP differently. Someone has probably described this better than I have, but here are the four main ways I often see that folks interpret not making AYP, which often make a muddle of discussions.  (And since we're stuck with AYP for at least a little longer, it's worth knowing about.)

Not Dead Yet?

For those who just can't bear the thought of a life without NCLB, however, there are various press releases and floor statement that, if you are desperate enough, could make you think that NCLB isn't dead for 2007 yet. Alexander spoke on the floor today and cosponsored the Burr/Gregg bill.  Miller put out a press release lambasting the President for insufficient funding and failure to lead on NCLB.  Whether it's all for short-term action or getting ready for 2008, I don't know.  My guess is the latter.  Otherwise the AFT wouldn't have done a post-mortem, and committee staff wouldn't be hanging out a this conference. Fritz, what do you think?

More NCLB Post Mortem

For a Key Education Law, Reauthorization Stalls NYT
It appeared that Mr. Miller had been unable either to find enough votes among the committee’s Democratic majority to pass a reauthorization bill or to stitch together a bill that could attract enough Republicans to form a winning bipartisan coalition.

PLUS:  Arts educators battle No Child Left Behind.

Kennedy & Enzi Pull The Plug On 2007 NCLB Reauthorization

The top two lawmakers on the Senate Education Committee said Friday they are putting off consideration of a new No Child Left Behind law until next year, according to this Time magazine article.  Finally.  Let the holiday shopping season begin!

UPDATE:  There's much more texture, if not any real surprise, in this Washington Post article:  An Unlikely Partnership Left Behind.  The story highlights in particular how the Bush administration's strong negative reaction to the Miller draft soured things.  Not that you didn't already know that.

Wisconsin NCLB Protest Teacher Gets Reprimand Letter

Google Images says that this might be Madison middle school teacher David Wasserman, who refused to administer a test to his students in protest against NCLB and sat in the teachers lounge. No word on whether Jonathan Kozol was the inspiration. News accounts today say he's going to get a letter in his file.

Halloween Happenings Around NCLB Reauthorization

There's been a recent lull in any real NCLB reauthorization news since Kennedy's folks put out the boring parts of their discussion draft and the rest of the Hill was focused on appropriations. But the AFTies report that Ted Kennedy is back on the march and The Hoff (how come that guy never links to me?) says that the House links have gone dead. Next thing you know, the lights will go out, a door will creak open, and Margaret Spellings -- face lit from below with a flashlight -- will cackle like a witch.

It's All NCLB's Fault

Charlie Barone predicts that the recent deaths of students from the staph "superbug" will inevitably get blamed on NCLB. But why stop there? The nasty cold I have, the wildfires in San Diego County, and the coming wave of subprime mortgage defaults -- they're all because of NCLB in one way or the other.

Dentists Good, Dentists Bad

In its letters to the editors section, the New York Times recently printed the overly familiar story about how NCLB's rating system is unfair like punishing dentists based on their patients' health. Luckily, a couple of days before, the paper had reminded us what money-grubbing louses many dentists are, refusing access to poor kids and families more than ever before. So much for sympathizing with the dentists, I say.

Dental Programs Needed For Poor Kids

Poor and working class kids have less access to dental care than ever before, and it's showing, according to this NYT article (Boom Times for Dentists, but Not for Teeth).  Sometimes the delays and lack of care are serious.  Strange that I've seen vision programs at schools but never dental ones.

Lots Of Coverage, Not Much Action

Bush: Leaving no child, and no agenda, behind
Baltimore Sun
Bush delivered his remarks in the Rose Garden, following a meeting with advocates of his signature educational reform, the No Child Left Behind Act, a first-year legislative triumph for which he is seeking reaffirmation during his final years in office.

Bush Prodding Congress to Reauthorize His Education Law NYT
President Bush tried Tuesday to prod Congress into reauthorizing his biggest domestic achievement, the 2001 No Child Left Behind education law.

Bush Declares His Openness To Revising Education Law Washington Post
Under pressure from the right and the left, President Bush said yesterday that he is open to reformulating his signature No Child Left Behind education law but stressed that he remains unwilling to surrender on its core elements of testing and accountability.

Bush Pushes Congress on 'No Child' Law AP
President Bush said Tuesday that he's open to new ideas for changing the "No Child Left Behind" education law but will not accept watered-down standards or rollbacks in accountability.