"No Child" law and state reform

By the snail's pace on reauthorization of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, Congress appears flummoxed over how best to maintain strong academic expectations and state flexibility.

Assistance comes in thoughtful recommendations from a respected independent research and advocacy group, Education Trust. The comprehensive policy suggestions backed by credible data ought to be seriously considered by House Education and Labor Committee members hashing out the 5-year-old law. Some of the recommendations carry a common-sense tone that might tempt lawmakers and educators to say, "Duh." But the beauty of the federal law is that it is already succeeding in pulling schools out of mediocrity. It doesn't need wholesale change, but rather common-sense tweaks and solid funding.

Two examples of smart approaches for states looking for guidance:

• A high-school system that produces high-school graduates college- and career-ready.

• Federal funds should be more narrowly targeted to high-poverty schools, a funding strategy states ought to follow.

Washington state is already moving toward high-school reform that pushes tough academic requirements for students headed to college or the work force. Putting federal might behind this track brings money and uniformity across states.

Other recommendations from the Education Trust send desperately needed funds to states struggling to improve curriculum and the way teachers teach. Count this state among those that would jump at the chance to dip into the proposed federal curriculum fund. The money would develop rigorous instruction and teaching materials; half would be required to be spent in high schools identified as having low academic standards.

Another fund would allocate $400 million annually to help states develop better assessment tools, particularly for English-language learners and disabled students.

These kinds of changes pad NCLB's sharp elbows with funding and flexibility. More can and will be done over the years. The key for Congress will be to stop arguing over the federal law's existence and start fine-tuning it with smart approaches like those from the Education Trust.

The No Child Left Behind Act is a model to build upon, not tear down.