Controversial "No Child Left Behind" Act Turns 5 Today
Monday, January 8, 2007
Today is the fifth anniversary of the federal "No Child Left Behind" education bill, and over a hundred education, children's, and civil rights groups are calling on the new Congress to fix what they say are major flaws in the program. Wayne Au with Rethinking Schools in Wisconsin says the biggest problem is the heavy reliance on high stakes testing.
"You're seeing the test spilling over and polluting the curriculum at the schools. Classes are getting cut, teachers are feeling types of pressures, a lot of people are taking retirement and a lot of young teachers are leaving the profession."
Au says the new Congress is unlikely to make big changes in the testing requirements, but he says they may provide better funding to take some of the burden off of schools.
"The testing actually costs more than the actual federal money that they get from the government."
Supporters of "No Child Left Behind" say it makes schools accountable for their performance; Au counters it ultimately punishes schools that serve low-income and other at-risk populations, including Milwaukee's public school system.
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