2020 Schools

Has anyone in his/her presidential campaign taken a hard look at NCLB? How are we measuring it’s effectiveness. I think it was John Dewey who said” You can keep weighing a pig but that won’t make it get any fatter.” If we believe that education for our students should be differentiated, why isn’t NCLB? All schools should benefit by reaching real targets and receiving recognition for doing so. Dollars are important for schools that need help as well as those that are successful. This stick vs carrot approach won’t work. It only serves to slowly pull all schools into the “Schools in Need of Improvement” category. We have one of the greatest educational systems in the world. Does it need to change? You bet? However, you are not going to test and punish your way to success which is what NCLB ultimately does. As a person who has worked in urban and suburban settings I know that one shoe doesn’t fit all. Let’s raise the bar for all students but let’s do it in a way that fits the needs of students and school districts so that everyone can be successful.