In the reauthorization of ESEA, we need to make certain that it doesn't contain impossible expectations like No Child Left Behind contained. No human endeavor will attain perfection yet NCLB had perfection by 2014 as its goal! This underscores the ignorance relative to all things education oriented by those lawmakers who wrote that piece of legislation. Perfection should be strived for but perspective shouldn't disappear when perfection isn't achieved! It is completely unrealistic to have perfection as a goal when human beings are involved and as long as perfection remains the standard, all schools will eventually fail.

Value-added accountability has some merit as long as it is longitudinal and gives credit to all who contribute to it. We do believe all children who fully participate in schooling can make progress due to that participation and the efforts of those leading the instruction. Progress should then be the determination relative to accountability and whether or not the school is effective. It would behoove congressional leadership to invite professional educators to the table when reauthorization of ESEA is being written. This involvement will bring perspective to a process that only experienced educators who have worked within the system can bring.

Those who would use political wranglings to discredit one of our nation's most important institutions should be made irrelevent. The consequences are too great and the institution is too important to monkey with.

Anybody with perspective could argue that education should have the same status as defense in terms of being "off the table" when it comes to funding reductions and political efforts to discredit it! Having perfection as a goal is certainly laudable but unattainable and indicates that it isn't about children really, but rather politics and influences that aren't altruistic to say the least.

Let's hope the reauthorization of ESEA contains better perspective on our nation's schools by holding them accountable but with a realistic measurement of their viability and effectiveness by moving all children forward from whatever point they entered the process.