Leaving No Child Behind

First, NCLB fails to recognize that students for whom English is a second language must learn English before being held accountable for proficiency in English. The law must change to focus first on learning the language. Only when students have learned English should they be tested in reading, speaking and writing English fluently and for a variety of purposes.

The second shortcoming of this one-size-fits-all law is that it does nothing to challenge students for whom passing state tests is easy. The pass rates for Fairfax County students range from 80 to 90 percent, and the more rigorous "pass advanced" rates are often in the 50 percent range. But the No Child law forces us to focus on the lowest 10 to 20 percent of scores and particularly on the 5 percent of students who are "on the bubble" of passing. While we definitely must continue to work with those students, we need a new vision for education. We need to create aspirational standards, not just adequate standards.

Jack Dale

Superintendent, Fairfax County Schools

I'm a product of the public schools, and for the past five years, I've been responsible for turning around the nation's largest school district. We've approached reform from a simple perspective: the child in the classroom. If we truly value our kids, we need the next version of NCLB to adopt the same perspective. Here are three key steps Congress should take.

First, the current law allows states to dumb down proficiency levels and create illusions of progress. We need a uniform measuring stick.

Second, the law measures school performance based on the number of students meeting a minimum proficiency standard. But what about the rest? Are they improving? The law should be changed so that schools are evaluated on how all their students are progressing, as New York City and others have already begun doing.

Third, the federal government should substantially increase funding to school districts, but only if districts adopt two critical reforms: They should pay bonuses to the most effective teachers and principals, based on student improvement, and to those serving in needy schools. Every other profession rewards excellence; why not in education? Working with labor unions, districts can adopt appropriate safeguards to ensure that bonuses are distributed fairly.

And districts should be required to reform stifling tenure regulations. Tenure should be earned, not granted automatically, and it should not mean lifetime job security if teachers cease being competent. Every student deserves an effective teacher, and nothing is more important to raising student achievement.

Michael R. Bloomberg

Mayor of New York