Maybe it’s time we rethink No Child Left Behind [NCLB]. The reality of increasing violence and truancy in schools has to do with the fact that schools are rewarded, or not punished, for decreasing violence and truancy. So, what we are seeing are school administrators, with an acknowledging nod from the board, falsifying data. There are no fights in the schools; just minor skirmishes that do not need to be reported. Truancy is not a problem if we do not acknowledge it.
The result of these silent but far-reaching measures is that students who face no consequences for rampant absenteeism, class-cutting, and yes fighting, increase their brazen actions. What is more, the students who might otherwise be compliant are forced to join gangs as their only means of defense, since justice is denied.
It’s time to reconsider NCLB. It’s time to rethink every child going to college. Maybe it’s time to reconsider the definition of insanity and work out a new model for education.