Editorial 2: No Child Left Behind Act needs further revision

The Bush administration announced Monday that strict teacher
certification requirements in the No Child Left Behind Act would be
eased, reducing fears that schools across the nation would face
penalties. But the new rules do not go far enough to fix a law that
is hurting the very schools it was designed to help.

The No Child Left Behind Act was passed in hope it would
introduce accountability to America’s schools. To that end,
it required strict qualifications for teachers ““ forcing even
established veterans to prove themselves. The regulations focus too
much on the formal education of teachers as opposed to their actual
ability to teach.

If the No Child Left Behind Act is going to help schools, it
needs further adjustment. Schools that perform poorly should not be
punished by having their funding cut, teachers should not be
encouraged to “teach to the test,” and veteran teachers
should not have to prove themselves to the federal government. If
the government wants education to improve, it should give schools
money needed to attract the best teachers and to improve learning
conditions.