Missing the Mark

There is no doubt that the public education system in the U.S. has had its ups and downs, and at present, it seems that it's more down than up.  However, with the enactment of No Child Left Behind in 2002, the  seriousness of our failing education system became painfully clear.  The fact that our schools are failing is a matter on which most all educators can agree.  In a Time Magazine article, Alex Tehrani agrees, stating that "NCLB proponents and critics alike agree that the law's greatest accomplishment has been shining an unforgiving spotlight on...schools and demanding that  they do better" (Tehrani).  The problem with this unified stance in terms of what NCLB has done for public education is that the "agreeing" stops exactly where it started: there is a problem.

Rooted in the "reward/punishment" philosophy of human behavior, NCLB strives for tangible results through a set of rewards and punishments for teachers and schools.  These "results" are a function of annual standardized testing that focus primarily on math and reading, and it's this testing that has been the catalyst for the arguments of many teachers, parents, and administrators.  The crux of the argument doesn't rest upon whether or not schools should make changes or whether or not they can produce results.  In fact, results are the one thing that teachers, parents, and administrations can agree upon.  The question at  the moment that poses that greatest challenge is "how" to attain and measure these desired results.