ERIC Number: EJ790476
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008-Apr
Pages: 8
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0031-7217
EISSN: N/A
No Community Left Behind
Schlechty, Phillip C.
Phi Delta Kappan, v89 n8 p552-559 Apr 2008
The debate over the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) generally overlooks--or looks past--what may be the most fundamental flaw in that legislation. As the law is now written, decisions regarding what the young should know and be able to do are removed from the hands of parents and local community leaders and turned over to officials and experts located far from the schoolhouse door. Removing the debate over such an important matter from the reach of citizens at the local level--and denying them the right to act on the results of their debates--destroys one of the greatest resources the nation has in the struggle to maintain a sense of community in an increasingly globalized and impersonal world. The author of this article argues that placing local communities at the center of the debate over standards is the best way to build such trustworthy communities. It is also the best way to create great schools in every community. If control of the local schools were returned to their communities, the results would be twofold. Communities would unite around the common cause of setting expectations for the schools, and the schools would improve to meet those expectations. (Contains 8 notes.)
Descriptors: Community Involvement, Federal Legislation, Educational Legislation, National Standards, State Standards, School Community Relationship, Local Government, Educational Improvement, School Districts, Accountability, Grants, Governance
Phi Delta Kappa International. 408 North Union Street, P.O. Box 789, Bloomington, IN 47402-1789. Tel: 800-766-1156; Fax: 812-339-0018; e-mail: orders@pdkintl.org; Web site: http://www.pdkintl.org/publications/pubshome.htm
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Opinion Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Laws, Policies, & Programs: No Child Left Behind Act 2001
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A