LAW FROM THE CENTER

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA) was one of President Bush's first policy victories . . . and one of the key criticisms by the Democrats. It requires strict testing for students in every district, incentives for those school districts that do well, and penalties for those that don't. It also requires stricter standards for teacher certification and performance. Democrats criticize the testing standard as being unfair to districts with large numbers of minorities, being an unfunded mandate, and with causing schools to "teach the test" instead of a broad curriculum.

However your stand on the NCLBA, it appears that the government's own actions may be undercutting their arguments. In today's Magic City Morning Star (Maine), an enterprising reporter uncovers that the NCLBA does not apply to DOD Schools. These are the elementary and middle schools located on military bases that educate the children of servicemembers. The NCLBA does not apply to DOD funded schools, only DOE funded schools, so the testing and certification mandates also don't apply.

DOD Schools officials maintain it's a distinction without a difference, due to the DOD's "high performance:"

Doug Kelsey, the deputy director of the DoD's school system, said that the schools are trying to live up to the spirit of the legislation despite the fact that the DoE has no jurisdiction over DoD schools. "We actively comply with the intent of the law," he said.

Kelsey said that DoD schools set high standards for its students and teachers, citing high performance on standardized tests and graduation rates higher than 95%.
. . . .
DoD 8th-graders ranked second compared to the 50 states on the 2002 National Assessment of Educational Progress reading tests. The military’s 4th-graders ranked fourth among the states on the 2002 NAEP reading exam. African-American and Hispanic students perform better overall in the military’s schools than anywhere else in the nation.

However, in the test that counts for DOD students (the SAT), it appears their numbers are slipping. Also, accredidation requirements in DOD schools are less stringent that in many local school districts. Considering that DOD schools serve the children of those who are risking their lives to defend our country, and given that our leadership has determined the NCLBA as the best way to ensure our children and schools meet high standards of excellence, don't we owe it to our children to make the standards of the NCLBA mandatory on the DoD schools, instead of relying on their assurances that they will "comply with the intent of the law?"