Looking for the Good in No Child Left Behind

There are conflicting views on the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) bill that authorizes public education. This bill was passed with the support of President George W. Bush and Senator Edward Kennedy in 2001 with a view toward improving public education by 2014, including in our least well-funded schools in very poor communities. No Child Left Behind Act – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Some states passed additional mandates including statewide standardized tests that increased the number tests and levied dire consequences for students who failed. I will not discuss these mandates in this blog, nor will I discuss the recent appeal process instituted by President Obama regarding the 2014 deadline for improving test scores in our public schools. Tracking the NCLB Waiver Process State-by-State.

One view on NCLB is that the taxpayer has a right to know whether or not a certain public school is giving each child the opportunity learn. This view framed NCLB and led to the mandated testing of children in certain grades using national standardized tests. Should the school fail to improve test scores year after year, the state can take over the administration of the school and operate outside union rules and without consideration of parents, school districts, and school boards.

Another view is that NCLB is a failure, in part because the federal government has underfunded the bill. Student preparation for the standardized tests required by the NCLB is inadequately funded. Failure by too many children is unavoidable. Funding is needed to provide tutorial, adequate curricula, and additional training for teachers. So many children face failure through no fault of their own. They may have disabilities of various kinds, or they may learn in different ways, or they may not speak English. The tests are easier for children with certain aptitudes, or for children who have multiple support systems purchased by parents or available in wealthier communities. For more information see Text Here

I believe that the NCLB benchmarks for learning using standardized tests are essential. Principals and teachers must see how they are doing. However, I do not think that a test should be the sole factor in evaluating individual students, teachers or schools. It should be one factor along with such work as student projects, and individual research, written work and class participation. Standardized tests should be used to determine whether a school has what is needed to give students an opportunity to learn, or whether the school must decide on new goals and strategies.

While we cannot define exactly how to create a good learning environment, we can point to schools that have improved. We know that some schools have increased high school graduation rates and improved NCLB test scores from year to year. Without NCLB, these improvements might not have occurred and/or the public might not have noticed.

That is why I have a more positive view of NCLB and President Obama’s effort to improve our children’s opportunity to learn.

Making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP): North Dakota School …
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Mastery Charter School in Philadelphia

Posted by Becky on 01/30/12  •  Comments 0   •