From Deseret News archives:
Dire warnings often taken with a grain of salt
This month marks the 25th anniversary of "A Nation at Risk," a report by The National Commission on Excellence in Education, commissioned by then-education secretary T.H. Bell. It was a clarion call to the nation during a time of uncertainty at home and abroad; a powerful argument for the need to reform public education. But this is how it began:
"Our nation is at risk. Our once unchallenged preeminence in commerce, industry, science, and technological innovation is being overtaken by competitors throughout the world." Then it adds this, " ...the educational foundations of our society are presently being eroded by a rising tide of mediocrity that threatens our very future as a nation and a people."
The report was filled with urgency. You could almost hear commission members screaming, "Do something now or the nation will collapse!"
The problems outlined in the report, however, continue to smolder like embers within the walls of a home, waiting to burst forth.
Today, an estimated 30 percent of students nationwide fail to graduate from high school, and that figure roughly doubles for Hispanic and black students. New York Times columnist Bob Herbert put it a little differently in a column last week: "An American kid drops out of high school every 26 seconds."
Faced with this, the current education secretary, Margaret Spellings, is proposing changes to the federal No Child Left Behind law, making it harder for states to fudge when reporting their dropout rates. But "No Child" is comfort food for the education system. It makes people think they feel better while making them only fatter and lazier.
Recent comments
Blorty blort, smorty smort.
Anonymous2 | April 28, 2008 at 8:10 a.m.
School curriculum was dumbed down long before No Child Left Behind...
Anonymous | April 27, 2008 at 10:04 p.m.
No Child Left Behind Hurts Excellence
I have asked the question...
No child left benind hurts | April 27, 2008 at 7:10 p.m.
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