A Backlash Grows Against No Child Left Behind

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Resistance is mounting against the No Child Left Behind Act. One of the law's many complex provisions is required annual testing children in third through eighth grades in order to identify learning problems early on. But as many as 21 states are in the midst of either protesting or proposing changes to at least some aspects of the 2002 piece of legislation that aims to lift the level of education for all children in America. Now, Connecticut has taken a bolder step, becoming the first to file suit against the US government, claiming that the state is not adequately funded to carry out the law. Connecticut's Attorney General says the federal government cannot impose a mandate without funding it. Guest host Diana Nyad speaks with educators, lobbyists, reformers, and administrators, including a former Education official from the Reagan White House and the Attorney General of Connecticut. Making News: Panel Announces Base Closures The Pentagon today took its first concrete steps toward closing and consolidating as many as 800 stateside military facilities. Several major Army bases have been fingered for closure, including Fort Monmouth in New Jersey. Fort Monmouth's staff argues that it contributes to the efforts in Iraq, as well as to domestic security, and cautions that war is not the right time to close military bases. Gordon Trowbridge is following the story for Military Times. Reporter-s Notebook: Should Pat Robertson Be Taken Seriously on Chavez? Christian TV talk-show host Pat Robertson ignited a flurry of damage control when he stated Monday that the US should assassinate Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. The State and Defense Departments, many Christian groups and the network that airs Robertson's show quickly distanced themselves from his remarks. Do the program's million viewers generally appreciate Robertson's world view? Larry Stammer is religion writer for the Los Angeles Times.
Resistance is mounting against the No Child Left Behind Act. One of the law's many complex provisions is required annual testing children in third through eighth grades in order to identify learning problems early on. But as many as 21 states are in the midst of either protesting or proposing changes to at least some aspects of the 2002 piece of legislation that aims to lift the level of education for all children in America. Now, Connecticut has taken a bolder step, becoming the first to file suit against the US government, claiming that the state is not adequately funded to carry out the law. Connecticut's Attorney General says the federal government cannot impose a mandate without funding it. Guest host Diana Nyad speaks with educators, lobbyists, reformers, and administrators, including a former Education official from the Reagan White House and the Attorney General of Connecticut.
  • Making News: Panel Announces Base Closures
    The Pentagon today took its first concrete steps toward closing and consolidating as many as 800 stateside military facilities. Several major Army bases have been fingered for closure, including Fort Monmouth in New Jersey. Fort Monmouth's staff argues that it contributes to the efforts in Iraq, as well as to domestic security, and cautions that war is not the right time to close military bases. Gordon Trowbridge is following the story for Military Times.
  • Reporter-s Notebook: Should Pat Robertson Be Taken Seriously on Chavez?
    Christian TV talk-show host Pat Robertson ignited a flurry of damage control when he stated Monday that the US should assassinate Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. The State and Defense Departments, many Christian groups and the network that airs Robertson's show quickly distanced themselves from his remarks. Do the program's million viewers generally appreciate Robertson's world view? Larry Stammer is religion writer for the Los Angeles Times.
Guest host Diana Nyad, 2002 inductee into the International Swimming Hall of Fame, is a business sports columnist for Marketplace, senior sports correspondent for Fox News, and has hosted her own show on CNBC. She's also the author of three books.

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Warren Olney