Essay
When Policy Disappoints: Still Worth Less After All These Years

Koza, J. E.

Published in No. 183, Winter 2010

Abstract

Rumor has it that the "No Child Left Behind Act" is dead. As the time for reauthorization of this federal law approached, pundits predicted the death of one star in the policy/law constellation that supported greater standardization of the school curriculum, more surveillance and regulation of schools, and a dramatic increase in the use of high-stakes standardized tests. Those of us who opposed the constellation from the outset may be tempted to break out the champagne, but before we do, like the munchkins in the Wizard of Oz, we need to try to determine whether the wicked witch is "morally, ethically, spiritually, physically, positively, absolutely, undeniably, and reliably dead." A cautious approach is needed not merely because "No Child Left Behind" is only one star in a larger policy/law constellation, but also because whether it or the whole constellation is dead will depend both on what "it" is understood to be—on the conception of law or policy that is applied—as well as on the meaning of death.