This Ruben Navarrette op-ed has me confused. He’s more or less right when he writes:
Does anyone really believe that when the grown-ups sit down in school board meetings or state legislatures to make these decisions and others about how schools operate that what’s top of mind is the interests of children who don’t vote, or give money, or twist arms, or pay union dues? If so, they need to grow up.
But then there is this:
Luckily, NCLB has a ferocious defender in the form of U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings. As someone who is obviously committed to the law and to preserving its intent, Spellings isn’t afraid to square off against powerful opponents of NCLB such as Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor.
Sure, Miller and Spellings don’t always agree, but he’s hardly out to gut No Child Left Behind…he’s taking a lot of heat for defending it!
Update: On this op-ed, Sherman Dorn makes a good point about needing to accommodate multiple needs, it can’t just be kids against adults, but that balance is pretty out of whack in a lot of ways. The schools work a lot better for the adults than the kids right now.