AFT Campaigns to Fix No Child.

Instead of suing like it's counterpart NEA, the American Federation of Teachers has launched an intense campaign aimed at fixing what it considers unfair and unworkable aspects of the No Child Left Behind act.

The campaign, "NCLB-Let's Get it Right" has identified four areas of the act union members feel need to be changed. These include the adequate yearly progress requirements, highly qualified staff provisions, sanctions relating to school improvement and service to students, and funding.

"The AFT has been in the lead on standards reform," says Jaime Zapata, a spokesman for the AFT. "But what our members are also seeing is the NCLB being implemented in a manner that doesn't match the reality of needs." Zapata says the campaign is hoping to push for changes before the act is up for reauthorization in 2007.

The AFT launched the campaign this spring with commercials focusing on changes that need to be made to the AYP requirements. These TV spots will run throughout the fall in major metropolitan cities.

The AFT recommends the federal government measure progress on what a student has achieved from the start of the school year to the end of the year, not just by relying on standardized test scores.