Editorial: Leave behind a bad law

Thursday, Jan. 11, 2007 | 7:04 a.m.

P resident Bush's No Child Left Behind Act comes up for renewal and turns 5 this year, and it sorely needs a major overhaul.

Democrats, who now have assumed control of Congress, say that major changes are afoot for this law that sets strict penalties, calls for vague academic improvements and, under Republican rule, has been underfinanced by $56 billion, The New York Times reports.

So, what is wrong with the No Child Left Behind Act? Pretty much everything.

It wrongly penalizes schools in which students have made unprecedented improvements in math, reading and writing - many times, in classes with perfect attendance - simply because they have not made sufficient progress under a vague federal standard that is defined differently from state to state. Even schools in which children exhibit consistently outstanding scores can face funding cuts or staff firings if the percentage of improvement isn't high enough.

It wrongly cuts federal funding to schools in which students are struggling to make acceptable scores. These schools often already are cash-strapped. Cutting funding even more doesn't make sense. If anything, funding for struggling school districts should be increased.

It wrongly gives more federal education money to states that spend the most per student. States that can't afford to spend as much per student typically receive less federal funding. The No Child Left Behind Act perpetuates an educational system of haves and have-nots.

It wrongly allows the federal government to demand - and enforce - strict academic goals, while failing to provide the funding necessary to make success possible. No Child Left Behind has been underfunded in every year that it has existed.

Bush's No Child Left Behind Act leaves too many children behind, while penalizing their principals and teachers, who already are underpaid.

The law must be less punitive, set a straightforward national academic standard and be adequately funded. Congress cannot change this failing education program fast enough.