The Top 40

I'd say both the bad schools and the ever more primitive state of music are both symptoms of a culture disassociating its self from absolute objective reality and embracing emotion and animal feelings.

If there's no absolute truth, what happens to education? If there's no absolute beauty, what happens to art? If there's no absolute good, what happens to justice?

Its a result of a cultural rejection of absolutes.

NCLB was a consequence of the widespread experience of schools giving up on education and embracing "social promotion." It might not be a good plan, but the "professionals" had many years to work the system the way they wanted and they were choosing to just give up. NCLB forced them to try to get students to a minimum-level of education. Combined the idea that every kid deserves to succeed and you have the plan to force every student to pass Algebra II and college-prep.

C. Taylor - Absolutely.

The whole premise of academic achievement is to "leave behind" those who are not top scholars. It is not bad or good but merely the normal distribution about the mean. As in all human endeavors some will do better than others. NCLB assumed that all children can and would learn at roughly the same pace and level, there is no evidence that has ever has been or is now the case. The standards are an ever shifting goal post that punishes all in the system. We need to accept that academics are not for all just as NBA careers are not for all. Not to say that anyone should be barred from the table, just that not all want or need the same diet. What happened to "shop", "home ec", and all the trade courses that I sampled in 7th through 12th grade? I went on to higher education but have relied on my trade time and time again to support my family. There are many kinds of education and we dismiss all except for academics. Politicians and bureaucrats set curriculum not teachers therefore it is incumbent for the voters to get educated on this issue and vote accordingly. There are really no bad schools, just bad administrators and I hate to say it - bad students.

Anyone who rides airplanes should be grateful that flight training programs don't follow NCLB theory. Picture yourself riding a B757 with a pilot who should have washed out because he/she couldn't handle a C-150, but was pushed on through the system by NCLB theory.

The problem is that half of the children are below average don'tcha see. So there is no amount of money we cannot afford to spend on union teachers and hanger-ons to improve this deplorable situation. Our goal should be to hire more teacher, pay teachers better, give them 7 periods off a day and keep taxing the shit out of the citizens until at least half the children are above average.