Poetry for one.  Jonathan Kozol, author of many award-winning books about the shabby state of public education and access to health care among poor and minority communities, is interviewed by Salon about his current book "Letters to a Young Teacher."  In it, he discusses the vast shortcomings of "No Child Left Behind" which range from squelching childhood imagination to killing teacher inspiration. 

For the uninitiated, NCLB is the brainchild of the Bush Administration and became law in 2001. The problems with the law are legendary and well-documented, the worst of which is taking money away from "under-performing" schools (because taking money away from schools will increase accountability and performance).  Kozol's description of the state of American education (the tests are ruining everything!) is worthy of a standing ovation.

Regardless of your political persuasion, most people would agree that this Administration lacks poetry.  Perhaps poetry and its attendant ability to imagine and wonder about the unseen universe beyond capitalistic necessity and moralistic platitudes isn't the most important thing that is missing here (peace, for one).  But I can't help longing for the certain kind of trouble Whitman's "Leaves of Grass" wrought for W's predecessor. Doesn't concern about interns in the Oval Office seem almost quaint now?

Kozol offers hope to the grunts striving away in the inner city schools, acknowledging that  "... the invasion of the public schools by mercantile values has deeply demoralized teachers"  and accurately noting that "I don't think there's anything in No Child Left Behind about reading the sonnets of Rilke to first graders."

And so many of the children won't ever read this: 

Nothing in the vaults of kingly decay
and mustiness gives lie to his praise
not even a shadow falling from the gods.

He is one of the eternal heralds
who carries fruitful praise
through the portals of death.

-from Sonnets to Orpheus by Rainer Maria Rilke