Further Proof that NCLB Isn't Working

Nearly 99% of high schools in Illinois failed to meet the AYP (adequate yearly progress) prescribed by NCLB this year (Chicago Sun Times). Unless this is a Mensa-entry exam or used to pick finalists for the next astronaut to set foot on the moon, I'm thinking the results are a tad ridiculous. Either the test is too difficult or Illinois schools are among the worst in human history. So which is the case? Well, the eight schools that actually met their AYP had over 85% of their student population (including in each subgroup) passing the test. This includes special education and ESL students; a requirement that always left me with an inkling that NCLB was proposed in 2001 by the Bush administration to fail. This would serve as a strong argument to privatize public schools, coupled with attacks on other fronts including recent documentaries like The Lottery and Waiting for Superman, books by conservative and even liberal pundits (often who have no background in education) and statements by politicians about the failure of schools and the promise of charter schools and vouchers (lest us forget that McCain made this the centerpiece of his educational platform in 2008). These arguments tend to ignore the reality that charter schools do no better (except the exemplar schools they use to make their arguments), rely almost exclusively on young, hungry teachers that spend upwards of 60-70 hours a week working (at least at the model Kipp schools) for worse pay and have a self-selection bias that tends to limit the "problem students" from their schools. 

The reality is that test scores are actually going up in Illinois and more kids are passing in grades 3-8, but that overall, a lot of the high school students are having problems. This begs the rather salient question of whether we should really expect 100% of students to pass high school with this minimum standard of skills (and ability to pass tests)? Is there any other country in the world that has a requirement even close to as ambitious? The answer is a resounding NO! Most countries in the world, including those in Europe, Japan and China do not expect all students to succeed to the college-prep level. In fact, they tend to stratify schooling at a much earlier age than in the U.S. As some like Jean Anyon have argued, this appears to be a huge mistake, particularly as there are still plenty of vocational jobs that students can be trained for starting in high school.

I am not arguing here against the rather meritocratic goals of NCLB and its founding principle that every student has the right to quality education. I'm just arguing that the goals of NCLB are unrealistic, particularly  if we are asking the growing ranks of special education students to meet these standards. Even putting aside the larger question of whether this incessant testing of all students makes sense at any level is the reality that the disconnect between the current (and probably future) labor requirements of the country and the NCLB requirements are so suspect as to really beg the question of whether many supporters of the law really do just want to privatize public education. The only good news is that our President has seemed to awaken to this reality and allowed some to escape its absurd clutches.