High School and Act
No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
The No Child Left Behind Act is designed to raise the achievement levels of subgroups of students such as African Americans, Latinos, low-income students, and special education students to a state-determined level of proficiency. However, since its introduction in 2001, it has received a lot of criticism. Some argue the ulterior motives of the Act while others commend its innovation and timing. With the Bush administration coming to an end, it is difficult to determine what will happen to the Act or how effective it will continue to be. Hopefully future lawmakers will be able to evaluate the pros and cons of the Act and the impact it will have on our youth.
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
The No Child Left Behind Act is designed to raise the achievement levels of subgroups of students such as African Americans, Latinos, low-income students, and special education students to a state-determined level of proficiency. However, since its introduction in 2001, it has received a lot of criticism. Some argue the ulterior motives of the Act while others commend its innovation and timing. With the Bush administration coming to an end, it is difficult to determine what will happen to the Act or how effective it will continue to be. Hopefully future lawmakers will be able to evaluate the pros and cons of the Act and the impact it will have on our youth.
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
Bibliography: 1. Aubry, Larry (2004, January 22) Urban Perspective; No Child Left Behind Leaves Behind Children in Need. Los Angeles Sentinel A7 2. Debrah White Liberal Politics: The pros and cons of the no child left behind act. http://usliberals.about.com/od/education/i/NCLBProsCons.htm 3. Jennings, Jack. (2003, March/April) The challenges of the NCLB: Principal 4. Wikipedia 2007 www.wikipedia.com 5. Potter, Thomas, Joseph C. Wegwert, Catherine Haerr. No Child Left Behind and the Illusion of Reform. University Press of America 2006. 6. Peterson, Paul and Martin West. No Child Left behind?: the politics and practice of school accountability. Washington, D.C. : Brookings Institution Press, c2003 7. Peter W. D. Wright. Wrightslaw: Special Education Law, 2nd Edition 2006 8. Brian Stecher and Laura Hamilton. Working Smarter to Leave No Child Behind: Practical Insights for School Leaders. Rand, 2003