School Beat: It’s Time for a Change--Protest NCLB on April 14thLisa Schiffbyline‚ Apr. 12‚ 2007No Child Left Behind (NCLB) has rightfully been a frequent target of criticism and complaint from a wide variety of people involved with education. Teachers, students, parents, administrators and other public education supporters have roundly deplored this current reauthorization of federal education legislation. Those critiques have been detailed, extensive and powerful and have resulted in a wide network of individuals pushing for change in our national approach to education. As NCLB is up for renewal this year, and as the currently war-beleaguered George Bush continual turns it to prop himself up, the time to increase that strong voice of criticism is here. Legislators from both sides of the mainstream political divide continue to support NCLB with only the mildest of changes (see a previous School Beat for more background.) Given that they live with neither the limitations nor the strengths of our educational system or with the consequences of federal legislation that is either punitive (NCLB) or insufficient (special education funding for instance), the only way this law can be challenged is through basic grassroots mobilizing and time-honored attention getting. |