Chicago's mixed record on school reform

Bush cites city's gains on sixth anniversary of No Child Left Behind. Critics see uneven results.

from the January 9, 2008 edition

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Few expect that NCLB will be reauthorized before a new president is in office, though Bush and Sen. Edward Kennedy (D) of Massachusetts have continued to call for it. In his speech at a Chicago's elementary school Monday, Bush reiterated his belief that the law can be strengthened through key changes, and noted that he's asked Education Secretary Margaret Spellings to take steps to adapt the law if reauthorization does not occur.

He highlighted steps the Department of Education has taken to give schools in certain pilot states credit for the growth students make from year to year – even if those students are still not reaching the target proficiency levels – and discussed implementing a more accurate way to measure the dropout rate and making it easier for students to get tutoring.

"I know No Child Left Behind has worked," Bush said. "And I believe this country needs to build upon the successes."

Many critics say NCLB has been not only ineffective at producing big results in achievement, but also harmful, narrowing curricula, pushing teaching geared only to faulty tests, and punishing schools or closing them down rather than helping them improve.

"Having some set of growth expectations is reasonable, but the fantasy that all kids will be proficient in 2014 should be removed," says Monty Neill of the National Center for Fair & Open Testing, a frequent NCLB critic. He'd like to see classroom-based assessment measures rather than standardized tests, and have kids tested less frequently than every year. Mr. Neill sees Chicago as a perfect example of why NCLB is ultimately the wrong approach.

"Chicago took the jump-start on No Child Left Behind," he says, citing in particular the city's program of shutting failing schools and opening new ones, many of them charters and contract schools. "It's a spurious reform effort with a lot of statistical sleight of hand going on."

Some parents and local groups have criticized Chicago's approach, particularly the havoc it can wreak in the lives of children pushed from one school to another. But others note that the city has made impressive gains, especially in its elementary schools, since it created a strong accountability system in the mid-1990s.

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