NCLB and the lessons of Columbine.

• Author: McKenna, Margaret
• Position: Education

"The development of a free, informed, productive, and engaged future citizenry depends on our ability to develop healthy children first. It is time to broaden [the No Child Left Behind Act's] narrow school reform lens. "

IN THE MOUNTING PRESSURE that no child be left behind, the U.S. is in danger of leaving childhood behind. National education policies are seriously misguided. They are based on the behaviorist view of human development, long discredited in the psychological community, that extrinsic motivation, rewards, and consequences, rather than intrinsic motivation, are the keys to high-performance learning.

Six years ago, automatic weapons fire echoed through the halls of Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., shattering lives, complacency, and the idea of suburban schools as safe havens. The attack focused national attention oil issues of safety, student isolation, bullying, and the victimization that depersonalized school environments seem to foster. There was widespread acknowledgment that teachers and administrators needed to find ways to get to know kids better and create real communities in our learning institutions.

It was a deadly reminder that education not only is about teaching content, but supporting and developing human beings. The lessons of Columbine have brought beefed up security and attention to school safety. Metal detector sales have flourished. New school crisis response plans and security measures are in place. Halls are under more surveillance. Community law enforcement agencies are cooperating more closely with school officials, and schools, out of necessity, are being run in a morn regimented way. Teachers and administrators now at least know where their students are, if not who they are.

Yet, it appears that many of the most important lessons of Columbine have been set aside. The No Child Left Behind Act's unrelenting focus on yearly improvement in test scores has forced many schools to narrow their goals for students in ways that comply with the law's intent. There are, however, unintended consequences. The resulting impact on school climate, in particular, raises concern. As class time becomes more regimented and tight budgets create larger classes, schools are becoming environments even less conducive for teachers to know their students well. NCLB forces communities to focus more on raising test scores than on raising kids.

While it is true that statistics on school violence show a decline since 1995, incidents of bullying and victimization are on the upswing. An American Medical Association report estimates that more than 3,200,000 students in grades six through 10 are victims of moderate or serious bullying each year. In its report on the causes of school violence after Columbine, the Secret Service indicated that nearly three-fourths of perpetrators of deadly school violence reported a history of having been bullied.

A growing number of states are instituting laws to combat bullying, and there even is money in NCLB that districts can use to fund such programs. However, piecemeal responses are not going to have much effect, especially...