[pnh102]

This is an excellent policy position. NCLB has to be the single worst thing to happen to public schooling in recent memory.

[tiki]

He’ll probably get a LOT of teachers voting for him.

[George W. Bush]

I note Fred turning to the Gingrich block-grant strategy. This helps eliminate the growth of the federal Department of Education with its one-size-fits-none programs which always redistribute wealth and pass along what's left after they take their cut back to the states along with other requirements which then force the states' to raise taxes. It's more of the usual carrot-and-stick policy we've seen with so many other programs.

Better to abolish it altogether of course. But you have to recognize and offer some praise for Fred's position here. The question is why the rest of the GOP candidates won't step up to the plate (except for RP as I mentioned but I don't want to discuss RP on this thread because this is a Fredthread).

Fred said this in Florida, where Jeb has pushed the NCLB and testing program in concert with GWB's federal effort. So Fred is taking on the failed Bush/Kennedy policy in a key state. It shows some political courage from Fred.

[Tennessean4Bush]

NCLB has to be the single worst thing to happen to public schooling in recent memory.

Give me a break. Too many on this board cannot keep the hyperbole in check.

Look, I agree with Fred Thompson and probably most of the people on this board that the federal government should get out of everything that they are not supposed to be in because they end up screwing virtually anything up that they try to manage. I am with Fred on federalism. But "The single worst thing to happen to public schooling in recent memory..."

[Tennessean4Bush]

So you would rank the teachers unions where?

[SoftballMominVA]

I respectfully disagree. Whole language was by far more damaging that NCLB could ever be.

NCLB isn't as bad as people want to make it. It is forcing schools to be use research based reading programs, rather than the feel-good, loosey-goosey approaches of the past. It is not a perfect policy by any means, and in some areas, it is not even a good policy, but it hold schools accountable and it places the scores right out there for the public to see and judge.