The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, signed into law by President Bush on Jan. 8, 2002, was a reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the central federal law in pre-collegiate education. The ESEA, first enacted in 1965 and previously reauthorized in 1994, encompasses Title I, the federal government's flagship aid program for disadvantaged students (Education, 2001, Augu). I agree with the idea of the No Child Left Behind Act. However, working in an urban setting, where there is little to no parental support I feel that teachers/schools should not be fully responsible for the child's educational outcomes. The parents are the first teachers and they should be held accountable as well. Teaching is team effort. Parent, teachers and support staff are to work together. The state blames the teachers through students’ assessments and the schools not making Annual Yearly Progress (AYP). I oppose to the part of blaming the teachers and the schools. No Child Left Behind Act has some good programs in place for the students, but if the student does not take advantage of the resources or apply themselves how is that going to change the problems in the schools. I feel that once again the students in urban settings are being set up for failure. NCLB did increase funding for certain areas, but the funding is not enough to provide everything required by the law. If the state did not place so much energy on test, and focus more on the student just maybe our schools would be in better shape. Some students clam up on test and the district test students so often it can be overwhelming. That is just my opinion. Being a Trainable Aide in the classroom, I have observed on firsthand how there is so much paper work that it takes away from instructional learning. Unfortunately, the law is a bureaucratic problem that teachers must endure if they are to continue teaching (U. Michigan). Teachers barely cover the subject matter in order to attempt to boost federal test scores. Teachers and students are being set up for failure, instead of success. As far as certifications, NCLB changed the requirements for the teaching certificates. According to certain teaching certificates secondary teachers are certified K-12 in all subjects. Now secondary teachers are only able to teach K-8. NCLB also hold teachers responsible for a set amount of professional development hour.
The current status of No Child Left Behind has not changed with much a big impact, test scores are still not making the grade, parents and students are not being accountable for their education. The law of accountability for NCLB is in place but, the blame is still focused toward the teachers and schools. Another status is more testing, which is not working. Also, students are allowed to transfer to a school that is making AYP or given the option of receiving tutoring on the school’s expense. These changes are good but none of them will work if all who are involved are not working as a team (U.S. Liberal Politics, page 2). The law for the No Child Left Behind Act needs more team collaboration from the superintendent, school board, teachers, and parents. Those that are in place that make decisions regarding the schools have no to clue what it takes to teach in the classroom in an urban setting. Everybody job is difficult but everyone must be on one accord to achieve the goals of teaching students of different ethnic groups.
Reference
Research Center: No Child Left Behind, 2001, Retrieved from http://www.edweek.org
No Child Left Behind. 2013, Retrieved from http://usliberals
Michigan Daily 2003, Retrieved from http://www.uwire.com, Education (1ED85)
http://library.ashford.edu/ebooks_newspapers.asp
Library: Ashford.edu. Retrieved from http://www.worldbookonline.com.proxy library.ashford.edu/academic/article?id=ar751625&st=no+child+left+behind
Picus, L. O. (2013). No Child Left Behind Act. In Academic World Book. Retrieved from http://www.worldbookonline.com/academic/article? id=ar751625&st=no+child+left+behind
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
The No Child Left Behind act has its pros and cons when it comes to the five core principles including strong accountability, expanded flexibility and control, methods based on scientific research, expanded options for parents, and highly qualified teachers. The pros and cons of the say this because when teaching diverse learners they are dealing with a variety of different learning styles. In turn every student will not respond to the No Child Left Behind principles or methods in the same manner, meaning that it may work for some while it may not work for others. The idea of strong accountability it is relevant to the teachers and the students. The teachers they are held accountable due to the set standards and curriculums that they have to teach and follow in order to meet the goals of the NCLB. Along with this they have to prepare the student for the standardized tests that are put in place to measure the students and the teacher’s progress. This is tricky because if the student fails teachers are held accountable while the students are also held responsible for themselves if they fail. This is when highly qualified teachers cone into effect due to the evaluations of their teaching through how the students perform on the standardized tests. In some ways this may be a good thing, but it can also be really bad too. If the students do good then the teachers look highly qualified but if the students don’t do a good job then the teachers look unqualified or as if they are not meeting the standards when that really may not be the case at all. Although teachers have certain curriculums to follow, they do have expanded flexibility and control regarding tailoring their lesson plans which is a good thing that gives them a little freedom. On the other hand it has its cons too because that in my opinion is about the only leeway that they have to make things their own. This will affect the students because teachers are stuck…
- 689 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Teachers and schools should be held accountable, but not judged by some test that is a blanket test. This act takes away the ability of teachers to actually be able to teach, they just instruct to what is on the test. Students learn at different levels; this test hurts those students that may not learn quick as the others or learn in the same way. The NCLB is an even bigger problem in areas such as Chicago, Atlanta schools with children that come from poorer families and do not get the help they need at home.…
- 468 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Associated Press. (2013) tells readers about how the White house has passed a bill that replaced the No Child Left Behind Act that will give the states and their state government the ability to choose how they can improve their school and reduce federal involvement in their educational matters, so instead of the federal running the school it will be each state and their state government running the educational part of their schools.…
- 682 Words
- 3 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Up until today, the ESEA was reauthorized seven times, but every time the original goal remained constant. Helping students in need was always the main objective. One of the major changes over the years was a transition in how the funds were distributed. From giving funds to the school itself, they were assigned to the students. Who received aid was based on economic status and economic achievement. Some specific acts changed particular aspects of the law. In 1981, the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act decreased federal regulations and gave control over to state governments instead of the federal government. Because of this act, an objective changed to advancing student’s personal achievement. Another bill called the Improving America’s Schools Act lowered the threshold for qualifying for aid from 75% to 50% of the population in poverty (wikipedia.org, “Elementary and Secondary Education Act”). It gave longer times to use federal funding and gave more control to local organizations, allowing federal requirements to be bypassed. In 2002, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act took on a new name, No Child Left Behind. No Child Left Behind was a standards based system that increased accountability between teachers and students. Each state would create its own education…
- 1579 Words
- 7 Pages
Better Essays -
The failing of No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Why did it happen? Who is responsible? What can be done to solve or fix this problem? Congress wrote law, Congress needs rewrite the law. To help solve this issue Congress needs to do is help states, districts and schools build the capacity to implement the common elements and practices, and then hold them…
- 1018 Words
- 5 Pages
Better Essays -
In January 2002 congress, with the encouragement of President Bush, passed a new act that was intended to prevent children from being left behind in education. No Child Left Behind is designed to change the culture of America 's schools by closing the achievement gap, offering more flexibility, giving parents more options, and teaching students based on what works. This was and is a great idea. Children are our future and we need to make sure they get all the opportunities education can give them. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001(NCLB) is a well intentioned yet fundamentally flawed piece of legislation.…
- 1526 Words
- 7 Pages
Better Essays -
The premise of the No Child Left Behind Act is that every child has an equal opportunity for a good education. For this goal to be met, each state must bring 95-100% of…
- 1969 Words
- 8 Pages
Powerful Essays -
The American education system has been on a gradual decline over the past several years and has become very non competitive to other nations across the world. This is quite surprising considering the fact that America has one of the most developed and strongest economies in the world yet is so far behind other countries in the education matter. One of the most recent debated issues in the U.S. Department of Education, is the 2002 No Child Left Behind Act signed by former President George W. Bush. According to many education intellects, this act is holding America back from achieving its full potential and getting back on track with the rest of the world. Diane Ravitch, who is a historian of American education, addresses this issue in “Time to Kill ‘No Child Left Behind.’” She says, “Congress should get rid of…
- 1789 Words
- 8 Pages
Good Essays -
The United States educational system is preforming poorly compared to the rest of the world: America is ranked 17th in educational performance, 25th in Math, 17th in Science, and 14th in Reading skills. Disabled, minority, and underprivileged children are lacking the adequate resources to succeed in our school system. No Child Left Behind (NCLB) was a revised version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (EASA) proposed by former President George Bush in 2001. The intent was to reform the educational system so American’s schools could have the opportunity to thrive domestically and internationally, grant children equality of opportunity, and boost students K-12 level of understanding in core subjects, such as science, technology, and math. This initiative sought to improve our lagging educational system in the U.S to inch closer to higher achieving educational standards, such as the United Kingdom. However, No Child Left Act is hindering children’s chance of a “healthy start, a head start, a fair start, a safe start, and a moral start in life,” by amplifying undesired pressure on students through standardized testing, increasing federal jurisdiction within schools, and minimizing the roles of additional core subjects, such as social studies and foreign languages. This…
- 1474 Words
- 6 Pages
Good Essays -
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (often referred to as No Child Left Behind) was a landmark in education reform designed to improve student achievement and change the culture of America's schools. President George W. Bush described this law as the "cornerstone of my administration" (Department of Education). It allows low-income families, whose children traditionally have less academic opportunities, to move to private school or specialized charter schools via a school voucher. The act was expected to introduce high standards for education, the belief that all children, regardless of class, should have equal opportunities to learn, and accountability for failing school systems. However, the act…
- 1045 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
In 2002, President Bush signed into law No Child Left Behind Act, to ensure that every state is testing every child. (http://www.whithouse.gov/infocus/education/2007) Students from culturally, and linguistically backgrounds, expanding access to tutoring, help parents to get information in time for their children. Our children must be equipped with the knowledge and skills to compete in the global economy. (Judy,R.,Reading in content areas.pg.71,2006)…
- 857 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Lets first start by explaining what the Act entails. As defined by Wikipedia, The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (Public Law 107-110), more commonly known as NCLB, is a United States federal law signed on January 8, 2002 by George Bush, that reauthorizes a number of federal programs that aim to improve the performance of primary and secondary schools by increasing the standards of accountability for state, school districts and schools, as well as providing parents more flexibility in choosing which schools their children will attend. NCLB is built on four principles: accountability for results, more choices for parents, greater local control and flexibility, and an emphasis on doing what works based on scientific research. Additionally, it promotes an increased focus on reading and re-authorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). NCLB is the latest federal legislation which enact the theories of standards-based education reform, which is based on the belief that high expectations and setting of goals will result in success for all students. Under the new law, every racial and demographic group in each school must meet rising goals on English and math tests to make "adequate yearly progress." This Act tests reading and math skills of…
- 1525 Words
- 7 Pages
Powerful Essays -
The No Child Left Behind Act, a federal social program that tries to encourages after school programs should be eliminated and the extra funds given to schools to decide where it goes.…
- 383 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
The No Child Left Behind Law was passed by Congress in 2001in an attempt to increase the federal role in education and mandate requirements that will affect every public school in America, including Texas. The goal of the NCLB act was to create procedures intended to shut achievement gaps between different groups of students. States are mandated to increase student testing, gather and publicize subgroup results, guarantee a highly qualified teacher in every classroom, and guarantee that all students, despite of socioeconomic factors, attain a capable level of education and that no child will be left behind. It basically requires states to make more extensive changes and meet exceptionally positive deadlines. Obeying the requirements of NCLB is going to be a challenge for many states and teachers if they want to continue receiving federal funding and not to be replaced with someone more highly trained.…
- 386 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
“No child left behind” act (NCLB) passed this year through congress which was originally passed in 2002, that shows how can be common sense and experience is replaced. The author, Diane Ravitch pointed out in her book that NCLB promotes the weakness in American public school, rather than improving their strengths. The idea of passing NCLB proven wrong, because it is wasting of federal dollars, it increases corruption, and it a-parts teachers from the school system.…
- 504 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays