"The catch with a proposition like that is ... say the group not performing well in mathematics is actually Pacific Islander girls. But not all of those are eligible for Title I, and not all of those are performing poorly."

So really, resources aren't any more effectively targeted.

An education advisory committee to SolveEdNow.org was set up to examine NCLB, available research on what works and what doesn't, and make recommendations to Cannon on how to improve the federal program.

Cannon created the committee in March specifically to address NCLB reauthorization and any other education issues they see fit.

Cannon wants to make sure the law — or any changes to it — would not stand in the way of teachers using new technology in the classroom or other creative or innovative ways to get through to their students.

"Tests are not helpful in helping kids learn," Cannon said. He added that teaching to a test does not help students and limits what teachers can do.

Cannon wants to see NCLB fixed so that it that encourages states to experiment and institute change without having to first check with Washington. He does not want the federal obstacles to be put in the way of teachers teaching or students learning.

Meanwhile, Bishop called Matheson's bill "cute," and said if there was ever a time to use the cliche "rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic, this is it."

"All this tinkering does nothing to help out," said Bishop, who sits on the Education Committee. "The bottom line is that the federal government should not be telling the states how the states run their schools. ... It is not the details of the bill, it is the actual premise of the bill."

Bishop said schools should be responsible to "the clientele" — the parents and kids — not someone in Washington.

"No one is actually helping a kid in the classroom," Bishop said. "The federal government doesn't make schools better."

---

E-mail: suzanne@desnews.com; jtcook@desnews.com