W.V. Council takes a stand to support No Child Left Behind act

WEST VALLEY CITY — West Valley City has taken a stand in support of the controversial federal No Child Left Behind act.

Councilman Joel Coleman proposed the resolution "out of frustration as a parent with the myths and the misconceptions that most people believe about No Child Left Behind," he said. The Bush administration program, which sets accountability standards for schools, has met resistance in several states, and Coleman said "Utah seems to be the ringleader" in that resistance.

Rep. Kory Holdaway, R-Taylorsville, and Rep. Margaret Dayton, R-Orem, are each sponsoring legislation that would call for the state to use its own Utah Performance Assessment System for Students (U-PASS) as a substitute for No Child Left Behind's standards.

But Coleman said U-PASS takes choices away from parents and "is so labyrinthine" it makes it difficult — if not impossible — for parents to compare their children's schools with other schools. He said No Child Left Behind "provides tools for families that we did not have before" and decried "the myth that if schools don't pass No Child Left Behind they're going to have their funding revoked, that it's a huge unfunded federal mandate.

"Essentially, the reason I did this is because among Utah lawmakers last year and this year, and also the media, it's commonly believed that No Child Left Behind is bad, and that is clearly the stand of the education lobby," Coleman said. "I think there's a real disconnect between educators and parents on this."

He said he is especially concerned that opponents of No Child Left Behind repeat the same problems with it — that it's an unfunded mandate, that it endangers schools in lower-income areas — but that they have never actually read the law themselves.

He said his fellow council members also were initially hesitant to support No Child Left Behind. But Coleman gave them information and told them to talk to local educators, and he said that made all the difference. The resolution passed unanimously this past week.

"It gives real tools to families to make decisions, and accountability standards are clear and easy to understand so that we can make judgments about the schools our children go to," Coleman said of No Child Left Behind. "We just really like the accountability. It's clear and it makes sense."

He said he recognizes "a few weaknesses" in the law but is confident the Bush administration is working out the kinks.

West Valley's resolution does not set policy for the city or for Granite School District. It merely expresses the council's position, and Coleman said that as the state's second-largest city, West Valley's position should be heard.

All of West Valley's junior high and high schools and 37 percent of its elementary schools received a "needs improvement" designation from No Child Left Behind last year.

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