Re: [Phys-l] NCLB: End It, Don't Mend It

["David Marx" <marx@phy.ilstu.edu>]

John Denker wrote...
 
> I particularly ask all the "libertarians" and "conservatives"
> why the ideas of decentralization, elimination of federal
> regulation, states' rights, don't-tread-on-me, et cetera should
> not apply to this issue.

As I conservative, I will answer you this way... these things do apply to this.  People from all parts of the 
policital spectrum that are paying attention to this issue are in agreement that this legislation is a 
failure.  I believe that the best people to fix the problems within school districts are the people in those 
districts.  This includes students, parents, teachers, and administrators.  Most parents are under a 
delusion that other schools are bad, but not the school their child attends.

People will then argue that the funding isn't adequate to fix the problem.  I would say that the problems 
are not largely financial, so much as cultural.  Students and parents do not value education enough to 
make learning a priority.  Instead, we have a culture that thinks that simply attending school during the 
day should be enough to ensure success, that a person reaching grade 12 is entitled to a diploma and, 
for many, automatic entry to the college of their choice.  We have an agenda-based curriculum that is 
trying to do too much.  We also have unionized teachers that may not be able to be fired if they are 
demonstrably incompetent.  The problems are numerous and no legislation will solve them.  It will take 
a cultural shift that truly values learning.