Today's Washington Post reports that Congress is considering a new name for the now infamous No Child Left Behind Act:
One reason, said Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), a key sponsor of the original bill that transformed K-12 education in the country by ushering in an era of high-stakes standardized testing, is that "No Child" is inextricably linked to Bush. And Bush, he said, has become unpopular.Marian Wright Edelman, president of the nonprofit Children's Defense Fund, isn't a big fan of the name either. According to the Post, Edelman supports the change because it borrows from the CDF's own federally registered trademark, Leave No Child Behind.Furthermore, he said, people simply don't like the name.
"People find it an incredible insult [to suggest] that we are deliberately leaving children behind," he said.
Let's say Congress invited you to their focus group. What would you rename the act? And as an added bonus, they want you to name one major change you'd make to the law, on behalf of principals. What would you recommend?
2 comments:
I'd name it "The Act that was dumped by Congress in 2007." The one change I'd make is to pour gasoline on it, burn it, and scatter the ashes.
Of all the indecent things being done to children in this country, this is the one that is worst, and done in the name of "helping" children and schools.
If Bush and Spellings had been in Germany in the 30's they would have named Kristallnacht, "Jew Appreciation Day."
I have always felt that Ms. Edelman's book, "The Measure of Our Success," is one of the best I have ever read. I posted a review of this fabulous work at:
http://www.openeducation.net/2007/10/16/sell-the-shadow-for-the-substance/
if it is of interest to your readers. The prayer that she offers at the end of the book explains what would need to happen for "No Child Left Behind" to become a reality.
Tom Hanson
Editor
OpenEducation.net
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