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No Child Left Behind -- what's the problem?

Categories: Development, Education

A teacher working with young studentsA lot of people -- mostly politicians, it seems -- have praised the No Child Left Behind initiative to no end. Best thing since sliced bread, it seems. But a lot of people -- especially teachers -- have voiced plenty of criticism, If you're not quite sure why anyone would be opposed to NCLB, given its goals of making sure all students get the education they deserve, I urge you to read Susan Hobart's essay on the matter.

Hobart is an educator who -- like so many public school teachers -- teaches because it is her passion. And yet, despite being willing to go the extra mile and do the extra work necessary, she can't really teach her students. Instead, she has to make certain her students do well on the standardized tests so she spends time teaching students how to properly "bubble up," the term for filling in the circles on answer sheets.

We're not too far gone, though, Hobart says. We can return to doing it right if we're willing to let go of easy answers -- because easy answers rarely work. We need to let teachers teach according to the needs of their students, not according to the bottom line of the test makers. We also need involved parents and home environments that are not only conducive to learning, but encouraging as well.

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