No Stress Left Behind

Across the nation, educators are trying a variety of methods - including beach days, barbecues, flute music and fun hats - to ease student test anxiety as schools face increased pressure to improve their scores under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

Link.

Based on this article, it seems like students are freaking out over the No Child Left Behind Act's required testing, which strikes us as odd. What do students care about standardized testing and since when do students follow federal mandates or whether their schools receive federal funding? We're guessing pressure is being brought from other sources. "Now Bobby, if you don't do well on this math test, there will be no football program next year. In fact, this school might shut down and your little sister won't get a high school education. She'll end up a crack whore."

Either way, this whole thing just offers more evidence of something every person should understand by now: when the federal government gets involved, you can assume there will be a host of adverse and unintended consequences. It's such a simple truth that we feel shallow even repeating it. It's too bad the Republicans and Democrats in D.C. are oblivious to it these days.