NCLB and strange bedfellows

Alexander Russo, who generally supports NCLB, approvingly notes that both the left and the right fid different reasons to oppose NCLB. He links to this National Review article: Leaving Behind Bad Federal Education Policy that makes the legitimate argument that the feds should keep their hands off education:

NCLB has reaffirmed the folly of federal meddling in local schools. Most notably, NCLB hasn’t significantly improved academic achievement across the nation.

Russo seems to think that disparate opposition to NCLB from the right and the left vindicates NCLB. I'm not so sure. I think both sides make valid points. I do not think it is healthy for either the state or the feds to usurp local control over schools. I also think that NCLB goes way beyond holding schools accountable by imposing impossible goals that are designed to weaken public schools and pave the way for future privatization. Centrists and others remains sold on the value of accountability and standards. It is interesting how this issue render the traditional left/right political axis moot.