“AYP”: How Inspirational

The photo above was taken at Ross Elementary School. This lovely, classic schoolhouse on R Street near Dupont Circle is a wonderful place with a great playground. The sign above the door lets everyone know, too, that it is meeting federal requirements for educating its students in reading and math under the famous No Child Left Behind Act. That's where the "Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)" thing comes into play. The term is a federal one, and its origins go even further back than NCLB.

But can't the feds find perhaps a more uplifting term that schools can display? Maybe something like "Bravo! Yearly Progress." Just something that schools can put up on the front of their buildings and not sound like a Dept. of Education functionary.