If you care about K-12 arts education, not to mention public education, not to mention children, well then it’s impossible to get out from under NCLB. It may just be the greatest cause for education handwringing since Brown versus Board of Education in 1954.

There is a terrific online discussion hosted by Newtalk, with some true heavyweights in the education field. It was a three day discussion in response to the question: “Do we need a basic rewrite of No Child Left Behind?”

Among other heavyweights, you’ve got America’s greatest education historian Diane Ravitch, Fordham Institute’s Checker Finn, newly crowned AFT President Randi Weingarten, Manhattan Institute’s Sol Stern, and Gerald Tirozzi from the National Association of Secondary School Principals.

For those who think they know what’s what with NCLB, you want to read this. For those who want to learn more, well, click the link above for the online discussion.

Many people have assumed that everybody hates NCLB, except a small group of politicians and educators who crafted the legislation. That is simply not true. It’s a huge subject and this discussion is a great way to learn more.