Word that Georgia is no longer required to meet requirements of No Child Left Behind is welcome news.
That’s not because we believe our schools should stop trying to be the best they can be, but rather because the NCLB act was in itself too burdensome and unrealistic, and failure to meet its mandates unfairly stigmatized schools.
In reality, a school could have the great majority of its students meet or exceed NCLB requirements, yet still be penalized if a handful of students fell short. That has happened in Liberty County on a number of occasions since the law was enacted under former President George W. Bush in 2002.
Granted, President Barack Obama’s decision to give Georgia and several other states a break from No Child Left Behind won’t mean the end of federal involvement in local schools. But one-size-fits-all solutions rarely work, and that was perhaps the principal flaw of the No Child Left Behind Act.
At the end of the day, the act was well-intentioned and did have some successes, but we believe most educators will tell you it is in dire need of an overhaul.