Vision Circle

No Child Left Behind?

The seems in No Child Left Behind are being revealed as we speak. The concept of choice, given the freedom of destination schools to refuse admittance, is illusory. And for some reason we just don't see a flood of policy entrepreneurs looking to fill the gap. This story in the Washington Post lays down the gauntlet pretty well. There was a similar story sometime ago in the Chicago Tribune I believe.

David Brooks in an article in the NY Times about Bush's upcoming major domestic initiative makes what is actually a strong argument for Bush's vision of conservatism. Bush's thing--which I believe emanates from his battles with alcoholism and drug abuse--is simple. We want to give YOU the ability to make choices....but at the same time you have to take personal responsibility for the consequences of those choices. So it isn't a small government conservatism (it can't be the way he's spending our tax dollars), but a conservatism based on the core principles of personal initiative and responsibility.

But the problem is clear here--you give people the choice to recognize their schools are failing, and the choice to take their kids out and place them in a better performing school, what happens? They take their kid up to the door, where someone stands in the way and says "no admittance."

What type of choice is that?