This just in: Every child in America will not be reading and doing math on grade level by the end of 2014.
You know that. You knew that years ago.
But as 2015 headed toward its end, it was the law of the land.
My actual focus today is on the new federal education law that is taking the place of the much-maligned No Child Left Behind law that was on the books for almost 14 years, which I’d suggest was at least nine too many. What will the new law mean to Wisconsin?
But first I can’t resist recounting an anecdote. In 2008, Margaret Spellings, then secretary of education for President George W. Bush, met with the editorial board of the Journal Sentinel during a visit to Milwaukee. I sat in.
I told her that it was obvious that 100% of students nationwide were not going to be proficient in reading and math by 2014, as the law required. I asked what was a realistic goal.