NCLB as a smokescreen for politicians cutting budgets?

Absolutely. Conservatives have been trying to abolish the Department of Education ever since it was created in the 1970s.

The standards NCLB sets are so ridiculous that most districts will be hard pressed to pass them, and are therefore labeled "failed" schools. If you school fails, your funding is cut off, making it ever more difficult to raise standards because you have ever fewer resources.

It's a well-designed plan to make it look like Bush cares about education, while in reality shafting the public education system.

House Democrats have done some good work on this:

http://www.house.gov/budget_democrats/analyses/spe...

http://www.house.gov/budget_democrats/analyses/edu...