StudioGlyphic

The Washington Post reports that the Republican-controlled Virginia House of Delegates "passed a resolution calling on Congress to exempt states like Virginia from the program's requirements."

Ohio and North Dakota are also reported to have skeptical views of the Bush initiative.

The legislators now running for the Democratic nomination dodge the fact that they voted for this legislation by saying that the Bush administration has not adequately funded it. But it's clear that this is a bad law:

The problem, some educators say, is that the No Child Left Behind Act has introduced a different way of judging whether schools are succeeding. It is not enough for 70 percent of students to pass the test. The federal law requires that everyone -- including minorities, students from low-income homes and those with special needs -- meet the same annual goals.

Many schools that have long gotten top marks from the state have now been told they are not making "adequate yearly progress," a confusing situation for parents, according to Virginia Board of Education President Thomas M. Jackson Jr.

I can't think of anything more absurd than Congress coming up with standards for every single school in the country. These people are not professional educators! They're businessmen and lawyers, and have no business telling schools what to do.