…and i’ll find me a soapbox where i can shout it

Any college student going into teaching has no doubt sat through lecture after lecture of how No Child Left Behind is changing our educational system.  We have heard it praised and condemned, usually depending on the professor, and know enough to be able to understand the basic ideas behind NCLB and its strengths and weaknesses.  What don’t we know?  Well… everything.

The problem with discussions about NCLB in college is that those leading them are so passionate about their perspective on the issue (as they should be – they are teachers after all) that it is difficult for students to distinguish between fact and opinion.  With this blog, I am attempting to take a completely neutral stance on the issue and research the views of those on all sides, from the maniacs who don’t want to see a word of NCLB changed to the fanatics who want to abolish the whole legislation, and everyone else who falls somewhere in between.  Although NCLB has an effect on all subjects this blog will try to focus as much as possible on the way it has influenced Language Arts in Secondary Education.

To gather the insane amounts of literature written about NCLB every second, I have suscribed to a few different feeds using Google Reader.  The Education sections in the New York Times, Washington Post, and Daily Oklahoman (two normally leaning more towards the left and one towards the right) were the major newspapers that I subscribed to.  I also subscribed to the search query “No Child Left Behind Language Arts” through Google News, and the education blogs edspresso.com and eduwonk.com. 

I think that these feeds will give me plenty of articles to choose from in my quest of figuring out just what exactly this No Child Left Behind business is all about.  My perspective on the issue is likely to change as this blog progresses, and I should also warn readers that my opinions will often come in the form of sarcasm, so bear with me.  If all goes according to plan, this blog will have influenced someone out there who will in the future be responsible for revising our educational system in America, better ensuring that our students get the best education they can possibly receive.  And to think… I probably won’t even get any credit for it.