No to NCLB, Kind Of

In the first sign that some semblance of sanity might be returning to the debate on educational policy in America, President Obama today used executive authority to give states more flexibility in meeting the dictates of No Child Left Behind: Crooks & Liars. This is good news for those of us that believe relentless testing and punishment are not the solution to our educational problems. Instead we need systemic reform in funding, teacher training and curriculum and instruction to address the diverse needs of our diverse student population. We need to increase the number of real world examples, critical thinking skills, outlets for creativity, make learning both challenging and engaging for all youth, use technology effectively to heighten interest and engagement and find ways to reward teachers who do a good job without resorting to undermining unions or tying wages to test performance and stop blaming all of our educational problems on said teachers. We need to find ways to expand programs that help educate adults and help them help their children with homework and value education in general. We need to stop listening to those who argue vouchers and charter schools are the solution to our problems. Really we need higher standards and the tools for teachers and students to struggle toward those goals. The one truism that is too often ignored in education is that children tend to perform to the level of expectations. And too often those expectations are too low. Let's give kudos to Obama for finally making a good decision.