No Child Left Behind – Does It Really Work?

The No Child Left Behind Act was of 2001 was a U.S. Act of Congress which affects every public school in the United States. The law passed mainly because many people were convinced that low-income, minority students learn less than middle-class, White children because their teachers don’t try hard enough.  Its goal is to level the playing field for students who are disadvantaged, including:

• Students in poverty
• Minorities
• Students receiving special education services
• Those who speak and understand limited or no English

The Act holds schools accountable for how kids learn and achieve in several ways:

• Annual testing:

Schools must give students statewide math and reading tested every year in grades 3-8 and once in grade 10-12. Parents have the right to request an individual test for their child in needed.

• Academic progress:

States must bring all students, including those in special education, up to the “proficient” level on tests. They must set targets for improvements, called adequate yearly progress. If the school does not meet those targeted goals, they can be labeled as “needing improvement”.

• Penalties: Schools with many low-income students are called “Title I schools”. If these schools do not meet the AYP, NCLB allows the state to change the schools leadership team or even close the school.

Some NCLB Improvements:

• Gives more flexibility to states in how they spend federal funding, as long as schools are improving
• Teachers must be “highly qualified” in the subject they teach. Special education teachers must be certified and demonstrate knowledge in every subject they teach.
• Schools must use science and research-based instruction and teaching methods.

As with everything, there are some positive and negative aspects of the NCLB Act. On the positive side, NCLB did lead to inclusion. Before NCLB, many schools did not measure the progress of students with learning and attention issues. These students were often shut out the general educational population and curriculum and left out of state tests.

NCLB set the standard that these students learn alongside their peers. Schools were pushed to give the special population more attention, support and help within the mainstream of the regular classroom

In the decade since NCLB was enacted, education for the learning disabled have improved. The graduation rate for students with specific learning disabilities increased from 57 percent in 2002 to 68 percent in 2011.

However, on the negative side, some do say that the NCLB focuses too much on standardized testing. Some schools end up “teaching to the test”- Focusing only on what students are tested

• Therefore , this leaves little to no time for anything else the students may want or need to learn.

Certain penalties, such as requiring schools improve plans, are reasonable, state some critics. Others, however, are very harsh, such as, firing school staff or closing a school that’s struggling.

Some additionally argue that NCLB’s standards-based accountability is inconsistent with the special education population, which focuses on the child’s individual needs.

Despite the controversy, there have been gains from the NCLB.  Yes, there needs to be some alterations, however what good instrument does not need fine tuning. Most people support the requirements for highly qualified teachers, research-based instruction and basic reporting on school results. Most of our basic laws are not meant to be permanent. They are meant to changed and developed over time.