An education mantra to leave behind

IT IS high time that lawmakers in our nation's capital began listening to the countless educational practitioners around the country who have told them that No Child Left Behind, as written, is indeed leaving many of the nation's children behind in a multitude of ways ("No Child law's authors work on a revision," Page A1, July 16).

When it comes to educating the nation's children, what we do need to leave behind is the "no excuses" mantra that has been loudly and frequently proclaimed by politicians, political ideologues, media pundits, and other "experts" who do not actually work in classrooms with students.

And while it is true that making excuses can contribute to poor performance, it is also true that ignoring the reality of today's classrooms, which are filled with students with learning disabilities and emotional disabilities and growing populations of English language learners, can also contribute to poor performance on standardized tests.

Just as any teacher will tell you, today's students do not conform to a one-size-fits-all model. Neither should the legislation that governs their classrooms and schools.

JIM GRANT
Peterborough, N.H.

The writer is the author of "The Death of Common Sense in Our Schools."