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They come at the issue from three different perspectives, but the conclusion from three New Mexico education professionals is the same: The federal No Child Left Behind Act needs big changes.

One of them wants to see it abolished rather than reauthorized by Congress.

"Prescriptive and punitive is how every teacher in this country would describe this law," said Ellen Bernstein, president of the Albuquerque Teachers Federation.

But state Education Secretary Veronica Garcia and Paul Broome, the mayor's education adviser, said the law has good intentions and just needs a makeover.

"I'd like to see whatever happens move from this bureaucratic structure," Garcia said. "But I believe that the spirit of the law has been good. It's brought more intentionality to teaching."

All three agreed that if the law is reapproved, Congress needs to provide more funding.

"Without adequate funding for things like health care and tutoring, the talk of accountability in the schools is hypocritical," said Broome, a longtime teacher and union negotiator hired as a consultant by Mayor Martin Chavez last year.

No Child Left Behind requires standardized testing of elementary school students to determine if the schools are performing well enough.

Bernstein said that forces teachers to worry more about preparing students for tests than preparing them for the real world.

Broome said that's not a problem.

"If we have adequate standards, you're darn right we should be teaching to the tests," he said. "We want as much rigor in the classroom as possible."

Garcia agreed that it makes sense to have national requirements for education.

"People are really working in a global economy," she said. "We have to compete globally as a nation, not nationally as states."

But Bernstein said there are fundamental problems with requiring the same performance from all of the country's children and schools.

If there are going to be standard requirements, the time frame should be more flexible, she said.

"Every parent with more than one child knows that kids develop differently," she said. "You can have national standards, but we can't all meet them at the same time."

Garcia said Congress should change the evaluation of schools from pass-fail to a graded system.

Often, schools that perform well in most areas fail because of deficiencies in a few subjects, she said.

"A fail can be very misleading," she said. "Everyone thinks that school is terrible. It doesn't give communities a clear idea of what a school is really like."

Bernstein said the debate over the law is about more than tests and money - it's about the states' rights and the role of the federal government.

She said state and city governments should be able to manage their own schools.

Broome and Garcia said the federal government can play a role in education, as long as it provides support along with requirements. A refined law - and expanded budget - are in the best interest of the country, Garcia said.

"We're facing a crisis in terms of our global competitiveness," she said.

Bernstein said the law is probably beyond repair. The act should be repealed until policy-makers craft a new one, she said.

"I think what would be best is if we design something that's actually good for schools and for children," she said. "Do I think that's going to happen? Not likely."