LETTERS
To the Editor:

At first it might seem a stretch to talk about the recently popular movie "300," and the "No Child Left Behind" act, in the same sentence, but bear with me. The movie (and a History Channel presentation on the same theme) tells the story of how the noble sacrifice of three hundred Spartans under King Leonidas at Thermopylae in 480 B.C. gave the Greeks the courage to go on to the sea battle of Salamis, and the infantry battle on the plains of Plataea, and to eventually destroy the Persian invaders. The Greek victory is generally cited as a moral and cultural example of how a small number of free men, willing to die rather than submit to tyranny, can prevail against a huge number of servile men fighting at the command of a despotic monarch. But the Greeks themselves (e.g., historian Herodotus, playwright Aeschylus) list this as one of two reason for victory: the second reason is that the Persians leaders in general, and King Xerxes in particular, committed the sin of hybris, which was defined as outrageous arrogance and the abuse of power. Today we spell it "hubris." Which brings me to the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) act, originally passed in 1991, and now up for reauthorization. NCLB was supposed to improve math and reading and narrow the gaps between rich and poor, and black/Hispanic and white. In fact, according to data from PISA (the Program for International Student Assessment) and PIRLS (the Program on International Reading Literacy Survey), NCLB has been a failure: since 1991, U.S. students have demonstrated general stagnation or decline in math, reading, and science; and there is no conclusive evidence of racial and ethnic achievement. Yet, during the period, we have spent about $100B on NCLB. Worse, American kids, especially the lowest performing students, have lost an opportunity for a better education because the feds, like Xerxes, have committed the sin of hybris - outrageous arrogance in thinking that their increased intrusion in the classroom would promote academic excellence; and abuse of power by usurping control of education. It's time for Washington to admit that their efforts have failed, and it's time for them to honor the US Constitution by giving control of education back to the states and the people, which is where the Founding Fathers left it. The NCLB should not be reauthorized.

Cordially, Chuck Esposito

Suches, Ga.