No Child Left Behind Act
When was the Legislation passed?
Major Provisions
Disputes between different views
Why was it controversial?
The No Child Left Behind Act was passed by President Bush's education reform bill on January 20th, 2002. It has been called the most sweeping education reform since 1965 when the Elementary and Secondary Education Act passed.
The biggest issue was how the act was to be funded. It would take a lot of money and time in order to complete such a tasks. Teachers feel that the act was blaming the teachers for a issue that was not their problem. Although teachers were offended, it was fairly easy to pass because of the good intentions it had.
The primary purpose of the No Child Left Behind Act is to ensure the education of all students in public schools while in a safe environment with well-prepared teachers. Major provisions include:
- State Assessments
- Adequate Yearly Progress
- Schools Identified for Improvement
- Highly Qualified Teachers
Proponents of NCLB
- Agree with the mandate for accountability to educational standards
- Believe emphasis on test results will improve quality of public education
- NCLB initiatives will democratize U.S. education by providing resources to schools regardless of wealth or ethnicity
Opponents of NCLB
- Act hasn't improved education especially in high school
- Mixed results in standardized tests
- Standardized testing is flawed and biasted
- More strict teacher qualifications has resulted in teacher shortage
- Believe federal government has no constitutional say in education arena
Why was it passed?
- To increase the achievement of all students
- To improve the public school system
- To narrow the test score gap between economic, racial and ethnic backgrounds
Liberals vs Conservatives on the NCLB Act
What issues of federalism are raised with this legislation?
Issues that federal and state governments are dealing with
Usually the state had the power to run the education system. When NCLB came intact, the federal government was putting laws and standards in placed. This was a lot of controversy because some people felt like this was a state issue, not a national issue.
At first when the NCLB Act was started, many Conservatives supported the Act since George W. Bush promoted it. However, as time has passed the positions have switched. Many conservatives feel that the NCLB Act has failed and needs to be reformed. Liberals, however, feel that the Act can be successful, just needs a few reforms.
- Funding
- States not cooperating with NCLB
- Observing how the act is doing
Works Cited
How our group feels
Our group feels that the No Child Left Behind Act was started with good intentions, however the way it was carried out presented a lot of issues financially and emotionally.
http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/titleI_final/exhibits/exhibit_01.asp
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/schools/nochild/nclb.html
http://www.education.com/reference/articl/epurpose-no-child-left-behind/
http://usliberals.about.com/od/education/i/NCLBProsCons.htm
http://www.thecaptainslog.org/2013/news/no-child-left-behind-act-controversy/
http://www.ernweb.com/educational-research-articles/pros-and-cons-of-nclb-standardized-testing-research/
http://www.fairtest.org/sites/default/files/Ten%20Moral%20Concerns%20Revised.pdf