Ed school professor Sherman Dorn wonders why I and others might tend towards minimizing concerns about the impacts of NCLB raised in a recent Washington Post article (Some typical responses to concerns about test-prep), and suggests that there are political implications.
The answer, put simply, is that stories like this -- a favorite among education writers and their editors -- have been coming out since NCLB was enacted, with little result. At the same time, the overall amount of curriculum narrowing and teaching to the test actually caused by NCLB is disputed -- as is whether its impact is necessarily a bad thing (much as teachers dislike it). Speaking of teachers, the NCLB backlash, to the extent it’s taken place, is primarily among teachers, as noted by this post from the Public Agenda blog Reality CheckED. And, if anything’s clear, the views of educators are no longer the sole arbiters of what makes a good education, or a good education system. For better or worse, that day is passed.