Critics of NCLB Ask Congress to Overhaul It

Coalition including NEA, NSBA would reduce focus on testing.

Washington

Congress should scrap the accountability system at the center of the No Child Left Behind Act in favor of one that holds schools responsible for improving teacher training and parental involvement, says a proposal released last week by a coalition that includes some of the most prominent critics of the federal education law.

The Forum on Educational Accountability, which includes the National Education Association and the National School Boards Association, is also suggesting drastic changes in the way states set and measure their annual achievement targets.

The coalition’s Feb. 21 report is the latest proposal amid many offered recently for revising the 5-year-old law, which is up...