We need to get rid of silly federal and state mandates for student testing
that require teachers teach to a test and little else.

I agree with everything else in your post, but this.

IMHO, No Child Left Behind -- flawed though it may be -- is the first
step in the right direction toward improving our schools. For the
first time in my lifetime teachers are being held to a real,
measurable standard -- which is the first necessary step to addressing
any systemic problems that may exist.

WRT to Jim's concerns, BTW, it's also the best way to disprove that
systemic problems DON'T exist.

There are many things I'd change in NCLB -- but discarding it entirely
would be a mistake.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"