Education law's overhaul stalls in Congress

[LWolf]

Proposals draw rancor amid calls for change.

NCLB is a weapon of public education destruction that I would like to see deep-sixed in concrete boots. But I'm just a teacher. I've bolded my main concern:

<snips>

Proposals that could drastically alter how children in the nation's public schools are educated have stalled for months in the Senate and House education committees. The wrangling over the law, which demands that every child be "proficient" – working at grade level in reading and math – by 2014, has grown so rancorous that Congress is unlikely to reauthorize or change the program this year. NCLB will renew automatically if Congress fails to act.

But as the 2008 political campaign intensifies, education changes are likely to be eclipsed by debates over the economy, health care and the Iraq war – and by more partisan political posturing.

http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/535803.html

[MadHound]

1. What burns me is that the top tier Democrats, and most of our leaders in Congress

Are talking about revising NCLB, altering NCLB instead of what should be talked about, ending NCLB.

[LWolf]

2. Me, too.

Of course, Democrats voted overwhelmingly to approve NCLB, and Ted Kennedy and George Miller made it their own baby. They've been promoting it since its inception.

I understand that Democrats would naturally gravitate to something that promised to close achievement gaps between haves and have-nots, but I expected them to be smart enough, and principled enough, to know that high-stakes testing isn't how that will be accomplished.

[flashl]

3. This is a perfect example of my mini-rants about Dems "get back to you" politics

"But as the 2008 political campaign intensifies, education changes are likely to be eclipsed by debates over the economy, health care and the Iraq war – and by more partisan political posturing".

[LWolf]

4. Yes.

I lose patience quite quickly with the "just focus on electing them," the "oh, but they're keeping their powder dry for something bigger," the "we don't know what's going on behind the scenes," the "they can never try to accomplish anything because they don't have the votes," and all of the other excuses.