Editorial: Updating 'no child' law

The Obama administration's blueprint to revamp the No Child Left Behind law provides a good starting point to fix the law and improve the country's public schools.

The plan would largely dismantle the 2002 measure signed by President George W. Bush. But it would also leave intact key tenets like accountability.

After dragging its feet for years, Congress needs to figure out what to do about the law. It should be fixed and reauthorized as quickly as possible.

With some fine-tuning, the Obama plan merits bipartisan support. Republicans should find something that they like in the sweeping reform proposals.

The plan would address some of the flaws. For example, it would reward top-performing schools, and force drastic changes at chronically failing schools to help students achieve.

Instead of punishing schools that missed unrealistic benchmarks set by the current law, it would give states more flexibility to intervene. The plan also calls for a new accountability system.

The plan would drop the requirement that districts achieve "adequate yearly progress" based on student test scores. Many failing urban districts like Philadelphia are unlikely to meet those standards by the 2014 deadline.

Students still would be tested annually in math and reading. But states could also test subjects like science and history, a more practical approach to a comprehensive education.

Schools would be judged not only on test results, but also on other important factors such as student attendance, teacher turnover, and graduation rates. That should relieve pressure many teachers feel to teach to the test.

By 2020, the plan would require that all students be on track toward college or career. That is a worthy goal, but a vague standard that needs more clarity.

To help schools meet the goals, Obama has proposed a $4 billion increase in education funding. But aid would be based on academic gains, not enrollment, another big shift that makes sense.

Not surprisingly, before the ink was dry, the Obama plan was criticized by teachers' unions.

The plan has some weaknesses, and Congress must address them. But the focus should be on making the law better, not derailing it.

Lawmakers can do that without stripping away standards and provisions that have led to improvements. The law has helped bridge the achievement gap between white and minority students and raised the bar on teacher quality.

For starters, lawmakers should think twice about scrapping school choice and free tutoring proposed by Obama. They also must ensure that average schools that are under the radar are not left behind.

President Obama wants to bolster education. Fixing No Child Left Behind is a good start.