Editorial: Learning curve for all of us …

Thursday, June 13, 2002 | 8:49 a.m.

The school district has little choice but to comply with the new "no child left behind" law, even though its effectiveness is far from certain. The federal law provides an option for parents of children attending failing schools -- they can have their children bused to another school where students are consistently scoring well on the statewide proficiency tests.

We see the advantages of the law, which in Clark County affects four elementary schools and one middle school. We understand the reasoning of the 100 parents who so far have signed up for it -- they're concerned enough about their children's futures to try a program that might have a highly positive impact. At another school their children may be exposed to better teaching methods, more friends whose influence could brighten their outlooks, newer classroom equipment -- an altogether new and possibly better educational and social environment. Although public schools theoretically are equal, there obviously are wide discrepancies. People with means are choosy about where they live, in large part because they want their kids attending the schools with good reputations. People who have no choice in where they live argue that they too should be able to have the ir children attend the better schools.

We also see the disadvantages. What happens to the students remaining in the under-performing schools? The "no child left behind" law leaves them behind. With fewer students, the schools will receive less funding. While some students may benefit, it's hard to see those schools as a whole improving as the result of this law. It will cost an estimated $100,000 to bus the transferring students to other schools during the coming school year. It's tempting to say that money should instead go toward improving the five schools, rather than providing escape routes for some of their students.

The good arguments on both sides point out a real problem in education. Efforts to improve achievement are largely guesswork, because no one definitively knows what causes some schools to lag behind. Is it the teachers? The curriculum? The home life of the students? The administration? We recommend, as the district complies with this law, that the participating students be closely tracked. Ultimately, the law's chief accomplishment may be in helping lawmakers and educators better understand the role of school environment in a student's ability to learn.