Bismarck Tribune March 17, 2008

HEADLINE: Revamped NCLB law needed

By KIRSTEN BAESLER
Mandan

When Congress passed the No Child Left Behind Act in 2002, few could have envisioned the unintended consequences that the act would create in school districts across the nation. Now, six ears later, Congress is positioned to reauthorize NCLB.

Despite some of the act's unexpected problems and unfunded mandates, reauthorization is the right step, since NCLB has increased accountability and spurred many districts to refocus on strategic ways to improve academic performance and achievement.

During the reauthorization process, however, Congress must take a closer look at NCLB and implement the absolutely necessary improvements that would make the legislation more effective, and equitable, for all school children.

Despite the partisanship that surrounded NCLB during its implementation in 2002, the core objective of the law was to reach a common goal: To forge a path toward increased academic performance nationwide.

Admittedly, from the onset, NCLB focused much too heavily on punitive measures. Federal funding for mandates was based on academic results, and districts with socio-economic disadvantages encounter continuing challenges in meeting adequate yearly progress, which, in turn, impacts their ability to secure federal dollars for core educational programs.

There has been an upside.

In the past six years, as districts painstakingly met the requirements set out by NCLB, educators, school board members and administrators have had the opportunity to review, track and assess the law's effects. They have been able to identify precisely where the shortfalls to NCLB are. Equipped with this knowledge, educational advocates across the nation have been able to provide legislators with specific amendments and changes that can significantly improve the law.

Accordingly, one promising "fix" to NCLB that has emerged is House Bill 648, sponsored by a 21-member bipartisan coalition. H.R. 648, which has been endorsed by the National School Board Association and educational advocates across the country, would maintain the accountability aspects of NCLB, while correcting the inequities that are unfairly impacting less affluent, special education, English language learners, and the gifted or highly capable students.

While H.R. 648 can begin to address the deficiencies of NCLB, the act itself still needs to be reauthorized first - and as a priority step, that must occur as soon as possible during this congressional session.

If NCLB is not reauthorized in 2008, the existing provisions of the law will likely be congressionally extended until the next session. In this scenario, it is likely that a new administration entering the White House in January would find other priorities before beginning to address the reauthorization of NCLB. Students should not be told to wait it out until after the presidential election. Waiting for a new administration and Congress to act would most likely result in the nation's schools suffering under a broken system for another three school years.

Accordingly, under this flawed system, more schools will be identified as failures even though they may be making significant progress in raising student achievement. Allowing reauthorization to languish for another two years would be a disservice to our students and communities.

The reality is that NCLB's ultimate goals can only be achieved when the barriers to its success are removed. Our state leaders are taking progressive steps to improve education in North Dakota. The $100 million increase to K-12 funding proposed by Gov. John Hoeven and the work being done by the Governor's Commission on Education Improvement is testimony to that. Locally, districts across our state are working diligently and are significantly improving our students' performance, but the one-size-fits-all approach rigidly tied to high-stakes testing is inadequate and is not a true indicator of the quality of our public education system.

Reauthorization of NCLB, during the second session of the 110th Congress, with the appropriate, corrective amendments, is more than just a sensible idea - it is an essential necessity if our goal is to truly increase academic achievement in all of our nation's schools.

(Baesler is president of the Mandan School Board. She is also an appointed member of the National School Board Association's Federal Relations Network. - Editor)