The No Child Left Behind Act remains a "fundamentally flawed" piece of legislation and much of the blame rests at the Oval Office door, AFT president Edward J. McElroy charged on Jan. 8, the six-year anniversary of the law.

"Tests, tests and more tests. Ask teachers what the No Child Left Behind Act has accomplished, and that is what you will hear," McElroy said in a statement. Enacting a better law will require strong leadership from the White House, but President Bush refuses to acknowledge the law's flaws and was AWOL last year while Congress was attempting to rewrite NCLB."

McElroy's comments came a day after a federal appeals court revived a suit charging that NCLB places unfunded mandates on schools. The case, Pontiac v. Spellings, should be a "reality check" for President Bush and others who refuse to acknowledge NCLB shortcomings, said McElroy, stressing that the problems with NCLB extend well beyond funding levels.

"By focusing exclusively on test scores and setting aside teacher judgment, the law has created a 'teach to the test' mania that is overwhelming American schools and narrowing the curriculum. Teachers and students need a law that supports good teaching, gives credit to schools when students are making progress, and offers real help-not unproven mandates-for struggling schools."

January 8, 2008