No Child Left Behind, also referred to as NCLB, is a funded Federal Government program that was enacted in 2001. The purpose of NCLB is to ensure that all children have equal access and opportunity at obtaining a high-quality education, while at the same time being proficient in state academic assessments. The NCLB Act contains five principles that schools must abide by in order to meet the standards for qualification.
These principles include: a) strong accountability for results; b) expanded flexibility and control; c) teaching methodologies based on scientific research; d) more options for parents; and e) well-qualified teachers. These principles play an important role in ensuring that all children get the education they need. This paper will discuss the pros and cons of each one of these principles and explore how they affect diverse learners. Principles of the NCLB Act The first principle, strong accountability for results, includes standards schools must follow to make sure each pupil meets the minimum standards set forth by NCLB.
To satisfy the standards, students must meet adequate yearly progress (AYP) through testing against curricular objectives. When the test scores fall below minimum requirements, the school has two years to make changes and bring scores up. Testing begins on the third grade, and continues until the eighth grade. Many people, including myself, feel that this standard has pros and unintended cons. On the one hand, it’s a good thing to assess students’ performance against curricular objectives, and to have tests to measure that progress. We all deserve to have schools in which students are really learning.
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An Avenue to High Academic Standards By Lynn Olson In her article "An Avenue to High Academic Standards," Lynn Olson argues that "A prominent misconception surrounding school-to-work is that it downplays intellectual achievement," and that "school-to-work can encourage young people to pursue education and training beyond high school." A school-to-work program enables a student to go to a regular ...
On the other hand, there is the unintended consequence of having the schools “teach to the test” (TTTT), which means that students might be in a situation where they learn what is tested, instead of having a more analytical learning. The second principle, expand flexibility and control, involves the specifics of what makes the NCLB program a success. It’s the principle that gives teeth to the testing process. If a school’s assessments are below NCLB standards for two consecutive years, the parent(s) or guardian of pupils can transfer him/her to a different school.
If after three years they are below NCLB standards, they become eligible to receive tutoring. In the event the student is below NCLB standards for four years, the school steps in to take corrective action. In my opinion, a con of this principle is that the school should step in before the student is transferred to a new school; there is little good derived from simply transferring to another school if the pupil continues falling behind as a result of having poor basic skills. If the child has basic deficiencies, a tutor should be assigned as early as possible, as recovering lost time becomes more and more difficult.
Waiting three or four years to assign a tutor might be futile. As indicated above, the third principle is providing parents/guardians more options and control when their child falls below minimum standards. As mentioned before, parents can transfer their child to a new school or have them tutored. I believe the pro of this principle is involving the parents in the decision-making process of their child’s education, particularly when the child is falling behind. The fourth principle corresponds to applying educational methodologies based on scientific methods.
As per the NCLB, schools should fund only programs that are proven to work through the scientific method. This principle is good in that it ensures schools spend money on effective programs; instead of continue investing money in programs that have already been proven to be ineffective. Schools have an incentive to select good programs that have been proven to work. The fifth principle corresponds to having well qualified teachers, who have the necessary training. To be qualified to teach, educators must: a) have a college degree with full certification; and b) pass necessary testing.
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Violence in Schools is Directly Related to Parenting Violence in schools is a growing problem in the United States today. This effects not only the students, but also their families, the surrounding community and the nation as a whole. There could be many possible causes of students lashing out against their peers. One reason could be their parenting or family life. This is the reason that I have ...
This principle has a definitive pro in that it ensures schools have personnel that are competent, qualified and have the skills needed to help students learned, including diverse learners. In summary, I feel that the NCLB act is based on some good principles that have the best of intensions: at its core, NCLB seeks to keep students in school, make schools more accountable and better, have qualified teachers, spend budgets on effective programs, and give parents options when the schools don’t perform.
NCLB also has critics, like any other government initiative; a major concern is whether it will give schools an incentive to TTTT, to make sure students meet minimum testing requirements. References Rosenberg, M. S. , Westling, D. L. , & McLeskey, J. (2008).
Special education for today’s teachers: An Introduction. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Merill/Prentice Hall. Carleton University. (n. d. ).
Pros and cons of NCLB. Retrieved from http://www. carleton. edu/departments/educ/Vote/pages/Pros_and-Cons. html
