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By Elizabeth Stuart As the federal government debates an overhaul and reauthorization of No Child Left Behind, the Sutherland Institute recommends Utahns start thinking about opting out. "Anything that comes out of Washington, because of the nature of Washington, will be a one-size-fits-all program," said Matthew Piccolo, a policy analyst for the conservative think tank. "Education should be as local as possible. Not only every state, but every district and school has a unique situation." In exchange for roughly $86 million a year in federal funding, by choosing to participate in No Child Left Behind, Utah educators are locked into a 669-page contract detailing how they should assess students, collect data, structure curriculum and allocate funding. While some argue the state's schools, which are already under financial stress, can't afford to drop out of the program and take a 3 percent budget cut, the majority of educators feel the law interferes with innovation. Eighty-one percent of Utah teachers don't believe President George W. Bush's 2002 education law works in children's best interest, according to the Sutherland report, "NCLB: Selling Utah's Schools for a Mess of Pottage." Roughly half of school and district administrators oppose the law. Surveyed teachers complained No Child Left Behind, which labels schools as "failing" if too many children test below grade level, encourages "teaching to the test" rather than supporting critical thinking. The federal government measures student achievement, not by tracking individual progress, but by comparing students in the current year with students in the previous year. "What's best for No Child Left Behind isn't what's best for kids," said Linda Anderson, principal of Sharon Elementary in Orem, shortly after her students achieved Adequate Yearly Progress in September. "My students' success has nothing to do with federal mandates." |
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