The report from the Commission on No Child Left Behind is in. The 230-page bipartisan report calls not only for renewal of NCLB, but also for significant expansion of the Act. “You’re never going to hit a home run unless you swing for the fences,” said Tommy G. Thompson, former Secretary of Health and Human Services in the Bush administration, and co-chair along with former Georgia Gov. Roy E. Barnes. Some highlights of the report:

• All high-school students proficient in reading and math by 2014
• Three science-mandated tests between grades 3 and 12
• Teacher evaluations based on how their students perform
• National Standards

Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, voiced hopes that mandated history tests will follow science.

As I have mentioned before, the intention of No Child Left Behind and the goal of every child being educated is a noble cause. However, we might not want to tell teachers they must coach in such a way that every student is swinging for the fence to hit a homerun. Teachers want their students to get around the bases and know there are many ways to score a run. Good teachers know what works best in their classrooms and for their students’ differentiated needs. If teachers are required to teach the same things the same way to every child, every child will not make it around the bases.