AJC.com > Blogs > Get Schooled > Archives > 2007 > June > 19
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
School Yourself On NCLB
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I just got a major reality check as I perused this new poll on the public’s opinions and knowledge about No Child Left Behind.
Because I deal with these issues on a regular basis, I sometimes forget that — even after five years — loads of Americans still have no clue what NCLB is or does.
Of course, I understand why people without connections to public schools could be ignorant of President Bush’s signature education reforms. Honestly, my own mother might not know what it was all about if she didn’t read my stories.
But what really blew me away was that fully half of the parents surveyed — those who actually have children enrolled in K-12 schools — failed to demonstrate a basic understanding of the law.
“…[W]hen presented with four possible NCLB descriptions,” the report states, “less than half (47 percent) of the public correctly associated NCLB with standards and testing. It was almost exactly the same for parents of children in K-12 schools (49 percent).”
Maybe I should feel heartened that the numbers knowing the correct answer approached 50 percent. But I can’t help wondering what would happen if the other half started paying attention.
