The American Federation of Teachers has launched a national campaign to focus attention on what it views as the shortcomings of the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
The articles are online at .
The education and advocacy campaign will include radio and print advertising and a coordinated mobilization of the Washington-based union鈥檚 1.3 million members.
鈥淲e can鈥檛 wait for the 2007 reauthorization of this law to begin talking about how to fix it,鈥� Edward J. McElroy, the president of AFT, said last week in a statement. 鈥淭he problems with NCLB go far beyond its deplorable underfunding, and we are serious about getting NCLB right.鈥�
The campaign鈥檚 first phase will focus on the law鈥檚 provision for adequate yearly progress, which the union says is incorrectly labeling schools that in fact are showing promising academic gains and threatening them with sanctions when they need additional support.
The spring issue of American Educator, the union鈥檚 magazine, contains articles on standards-based school reform, accountability, and the federal law and proposes ways to correct what guest authors see as its flaws.
