TENNESSEAN.COM January 1, 2008

HEADLINE: Inaction on No Child Left Behind dismays schools

By Jaime Sarrio

Educators optimistic that changes would be made to the federal No Child Left Behind law easing some of its strict requirements are leaving hope behind.

Congress hasn't made a move to reauthorize or change the law, which expires this month. As attention turns to the presidential election in November, serious changes to the law may have to wait until after the winner takes office in 2009.

That's bad news for local schools and districts like Robertson and Metro Nashville, where tweaks to the law could have helped move them out of "corrective action" status.

Both districts are in trouble because their students didn't perform well enough on state standardized tests, which critics argue are too tough for certain groups of students.

Metro's poor reading scores among Hispanic and black students and dismal math scores across the county prompted the action under No Child Left Behind, giving the state more control over the district's business affairs.

Local officials like Metro Schools Chairwoman Marsha Warden say the law has been useful because it has forced teachers to use test scores to make sure students are learning, but she says it does not offer enough grace for special education students or for students who don't speak English, who number more than 6,000 in Metro Schools.

She also takes issue with provisions that allow federal funds to be used for private tutors.

Private companies supply the tutors, often public school teachers moonlighting for extra pay.

Warden said she gave up hope that the law would change after talking to Tennessee congressmen earlier this year.

"The speculation was that it would not change, it would simply be reauthorized," Warden said.

No Child Left Behind introduced sweeping changes in education when it was passed in 2001. Most notably, it required every student to master math and reading skills by the year 2014.

The Bush administration kicked off 2007 by introducing suggested changes to the law, but conversations about what NCLB Version 2.0 will look like still haven't produced a bill.

Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., chairman of the Senate Education Committee, said he would start the process early this year. A spokesman for Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., said the senator would be a part of the process, should a bill be introduced.

Alexander has suggested some changes, including giving states more flexibility in exchange for setting higher standards.

In September, Alexander said he would support reauthorization if the act were amended to make testing requirements more flexible — particularly for students with disabilities and those learning English as a second language.

"There's obviously some problems that need to be fixed," Alexander said.

The law is not being ignored on the campaign trail, with some presidential candidates voicing their support for No Child Left Behind and others saying it should be overhauled.

Critics, including some who originally supported No Child Left Behind, say the act unfairly punishes schools that are already struggling and is not flexible enough to recognize when a school is trying its best to improve. Supporters say it has changed education for the better by putting the focus on performance.

Gifted kids are affected

Parent Liz McLaurin of Nashville's Hillwood cluster of schools, said she takes issue with the law because it focuses too much on who is failing, and not on those getting ahead.

"There's a group of children that are being left behind and that's children with exceptional abilities," said McLaurin, who lives in west Nashville. "We do a lot for children who have learning challenges, but for parents of gifted children there are challenges as well."

Robertson County, which has about 10,000 students, is in trouble for failing to adequately educate pockets of students such as non-English speakers and those with special needs four years in a row.

Policymakers there said they had hoped for more flexibility to deal with these student populations, but that, now, they're not so sure.

"It's a political situation and it's a political year," said Larry Fields, who represents the Greenbrier area of Robertson County. "No politician wants to deal with a sticky problem when they're up for re-election."