Congresman Moran's News Commentary

The third anniversary of the signing of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act by President Bush occurred last Saturday, January 8th. The President announced this day in 2002, that, “America's schools are on the path to reform. Our schools will have higher expectations. And our schools will have greater resources to meet those goals.” Three years after the great fanfare surrounding this event, two out of those three statements have come to pass. The third, and arguably most important, has not.

Since its enactment, NCLB has been chronically under funded. President Bush and Congressional Republicans have provided $27 billion less than was promised when the bipartisan bill was enacted. Because of this lack of funding, NCLB has become an unfunded mandate, meaning a new requirement without adequate resources for states and local school districts.

In 2004 alone, NCLB was under funded by $9.8 billion. This painfully large figure has kept 2.5 million children from receiving access to Title I math and reading assistance, 1.3 million children from after school learning opportunities and approximately 50,000 teachers from getting professional development. All represent promises made, but not kept. It is flat out wrong for the government to be expecting 100% accountability while only footing 10% of the price tag.

I also take issue with the effect NCLB has on the way children are taught. Due to the pressure to keep schools from failing repeatedly and thus allowing students to transfer to other schools (an action much more available to children from families in better economic situations) teachers are forced to teach to the test. This has the effect of closing the very schools that are accomplishing the most with children who receive the least support at home. Rigid requirements in NCLB hinder development and redirect teacher and student energies to activities that have less to do with true exploration and learning and more to do with just getting by.

I believe measurement of educational attainment should be gauged by the level a child starts on the first day of school, compared with their level at the end of the school year. We should be encouraging our children to learn in ways that develop their unique abilities. Learning by rote does not satisfy such a goal.

It was once said, “Education is the great equalizer in a democratic society, and if people are not given access to a quality education, then what we are doing is creating an underclass of people who will ultimately challenge our way of life.” I think this quote rings true today, and a Congress and White House with priorities that continue to be out of whack need to keep it in mind. In the coming weeks the President’s Budget will be revealed. The figures contained inside should prove whether their broken promises will continue.