I was a little disappointed when I read the guest list for this broadcast of “On Point,” an NPR show out of Boston. Rep. Peter Hoekstra, R-Mich., and Susan Ohanian from the Educator Roundtable are zealous critics of NCLB and Amy Wilkins from the Education Trust is a staunch defender of it. After listening, I’ve decided that the show’s producers were onto something.
The callers were just as strident as the guests. Parents said their schools ignore gifted children or that teachers have to surreptitiously teach anything that isn’t test prep.
A teacher responded, saying the law’s accountability measures ensured that the children in her high-poverty school don’t fall through the cracks.
The tenor of the show reminds me that people everywhere have strong opinions about this law.
The legislative process is about compromise. Will lawmakers be able to find a middle ground on NCLB when they and so many people they represent have firm convictions?
