'No Child Left Behind' Under Increasing Attack By States

From California to Virginia, cash-strapped legislators in almost a dozen states are saying the No Child Left Behind Act is too inflexible, that it conflicts with state accountability programs and that the federal government isn't giving them the money they need to make it work.

They aren't just Democrats.

Earlier this month, the Republican-dominated Utah House passed a resolution 64-8 barring state educators from using local funds to pay for the new law. In January, Virginia's Republican-controlled House of Delegates made headlines when it voted 98-1 for a resolution urging Congress to exempt Virginia schools from the law.

This trend is an embarrassment for the president, who's already on the defensive about Iraq, his Vietnam-era service in the Air National Guard and the jobless economic recovery. It leaves him vulnerable to charges that he's setting up public schools for failure.

Bush Education Officials Find New Law a Tough Sell

The sweet spot for Democrats in criticizing NCLB--not opposing the act, but seeking to reform it in line with the public's twin commitments to effective accountability and more funding.