The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), originally proposed by then-President George W. Bush, was created to reward schools whose students show a certain amount of progress. The act was supposed to improve the quality of education by demanding schools improve their performance on standardized tests. It was intended to narrow racial performance gaps and to create attainable goals for all schools and students. While NCLB has at least somewhat effectively championed the regulation of schools through the evaluation of results, it has created a whole new set of problems.
Because their funding is dependent on how students do on exams, some states have openly admitted to lowering the standards on the tests they administer. Also, schools are more likely to manipulate test scores in order to attain the money they need. Educators have begun to teach skills they know will appear on the examinations and do not take the time they need to help students establish deeper connections. Teaching to the test also eats up a massive amount of time in the classroom. While I understand that some schools, specifically underfunded, inner-city schools, need such directive, I do not think every school should be subjected to meet the requirements of the NCLB.
The act conflicts with the Individual with Disabilities Education Act, which states that schools must accommodate students. NCLB testing instructions do not allow proctors to read test material aloud, in this manner the NCLB does not take blind students into consideration. Also, English learners are granted permission to take the standardized test in their native language for three years. However, some states refuse to produce those tests in ALL foreign languages (most states do have Spanish tests).
Most schools use the funding they receive on core subjects and not on gifted and talented programs, because that education isn’t necessary for the state mandated tests. The NCLB deals with students that are below average well, but doesn’t help, and in fact hinders, high achieving students’ education. (Check out this article about a school for gifted and talented students, which casually mentions the No Child Left Behind Act: http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-08-04-genius-davidson_N.htm.) Also, NCLB examinations focus more on math, reading, and occasionally science than on art, social studies, and physical education. Receiving federal funding is a must for most schools, and therefore schools put more pressure on math, reading, and science – not allowing students to receive a broader education.
The main problem with the No Child Left Behind Act is that it leaves no room for outliers and assumes that every student and every school should be required to meet its criteria, when, in actuality, the act doesn’t consider disabled and gifted students and focuses on students who are considered to be below average. There are so many ways to fix it, though (for example, creating a national exam produced in several different languages that focuses on a wider variety of subjects), that I am bewildered at why no one is doing anything to remedy the various problems the NCLB has created.
To read more about the No Child Left Behind Act (where I got most of my information) check out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Child_Left_Behind_Act#Variability_in_stu...
---Sahifah Ansari---
