[Kevin]

Teachers hate NCLB because it is about helping the students themselves rather than the actual schools. I'm glad someone stopped treating schools and teachers as if they were sacred cows. Either they're working and getting results or they're not and they can be replaced. Simple as that. I'm glad someone had the courage to do this.

In my town, NCLB was part of the impetus which drove the city to pass a massive penny sales tax, raising 700 million to improve our schools (70-percent of the money was spent on inner-city schools). A further 180 million bond issue later passed. It was a good thing, but test scores in many cases didn't go anywhere because while they did replace the crumbling infrastructure, they didn't replace the incompetent faculty and administration... but by NCLB's terms, those peoples' days are numbered.

My father had a teacher at one of these inner-city schools in his office several years ago. Her son had been charged with murder and they were looking to hire him to defend him. She was adamant that money wouldn't be a problem. She said her other son could get as much as was needed. Dad asked what his occupation was and she proudly replied "he's a burglar" as if that was on par with being an MD or lawyer or something. He didn't take the case. I'm guessing that the sort of teacher they employ in these schools (like that one) probably has a bit to do with the sort of kids their churning out.