Child Left Behind Argument
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The idea of No Child Left Behind is not a new one because it is only an extension of the 1965 law enacted by Lyndon Johnson. Every few years there is a refocusing of education and this is the latest focus. No Child Left Behind has had a huge impact on education. It is a difficult issue and will be something that will haunt us until 2014. When the deadline passes, will we be better off? That is the grueling question that remains to be seen. Nichols, Berliner (2008) believes that with all the testing that goes on in schools today, we have squeezed what enjoyment the kids …show more content…
used to get out of public schools right out of it. The kids that were on the verge of being totally disgusted with school have now been pushed over the edge of that realization. Those students that drop out say that their biggest reason is that school isn’t interesting and they did not feel motivated to continue. The over testing is the cause in most cases. It doesn’t start in the high schools. In elementary school the testing starts in the third grade and they are told about the test before they ever see it. The students are scared to death of “the test” and this is a recipe for failure. Students are tested at least twice a year from their third grade year until their eleventh grade year. These tests are in the forefront of the teacher, administrators, and now the student’s minds. In some schools, the administrators actually have catch phrases to “excite” the kids and encourage them to do well on the tests. The teachers are bogged down with teaching to the test that they cannot simply teach. The students are so bogged down with doing well on the test for the school, that they cannot simply enjoy learning. Kids are tired of hearing about the test and only getting to work on practicing for the test. There should be test preparation and events where students, parents, and teachers can come together and encourage the children in learning. These functions should not mention “the test” and should not strive to get kids to do well for the school. These events should bring forth a cooperative climate that the children can see as working for them to succeed. There should be support activities and encouraging sayings and words to inspire the kids to better themselves for themselves. I agree with the fact that teachers are not able to teach effectively what the students want to learn or will need to know for their success in the future. I do not agree that their success on a test is the measuring stick for their success in life. There are schools that make the kids accountable for their success or failure on the test by making it a requirement for graduation. I do not agree that this would be the best thing to do because kids that understand and can function in class may not be good test takers and therefore, fail the test. Not only that, but the students that can do well on the test may not function as well in the classroom. There is no student accountability in the county where I teach and this poses a great problem. Those that don’t care how they do will not try and therefore, drag the scores down with their apathy. Piche (2007) argues that No child left behind is not a complete loss and can be truly successful. There are schools that are improving and many more that can do the same. She asserts that there does need to be reform and that this will be a slow process. We should not abandon the law at the height of the disapproval for it. I agree that there needs to be a lot of reform from the political level that should filter down through the ranks so that at the school level and thus work better. There is too much leeway given to the local authorities on this issue. I realize that the federal government can only go so far, but at the state and county levels, there is too much variation in the policies that govern the procedures for following the law. For No Child Left Behind to be successful, states should not be allowed to make their own policies and regulations. There is too much room for variations that cause some schools to fly under the radar and not do their jobs effectively. There needs to be nationwide standards that all states must abide by and work up to in order to make sure that all children have a chance to succeed. In some New York schools, teachers’ tenure is revoked because of failing test scores. They are told that when students fail regardless of the real reason, that they did not try hard enough to inspire them to do well, Naclerio and Conde (2008). This puts teachers on high alert and in fear for their jobs. This causes teachers to teach only to the test and forget why the students are in school in the first place. This type of one-sided accountability is not the way to get the students to achieve because the teachers cannot be the only factor in students’ success or failure. At some point, the students must take responsibility for their own actions or lack thereof. There is no argument that there are schools and teachers who are not fully doing their jobs to help children reach their potential. However, the path that this accountability is travelling will only end with good teachers either losing their jobs or choosing to leave the education system altogether to another form of employment. I agree that there should be some accountability, but everyone needs to be held accountable. Jack Jennings of the Center of Education Policy contends that although No Child Left Behind has forced many schools to concentrate on students that they hadn’t before, the law is underfunded.
This is a major problem with No Child Left Behind because it takes more than testing to turn filing schools around. There have been kids that have been long ignored that have been brought to the forefront of education and this is a great thing. There are also those that use certain issues and problems outside the school system as a crutch for not succeeding. There are those that have overcome their own personal issues to succeed and to say to these young people that it is okay to blame their underachievement on their lack of income or ethnicity is ridiculous. There is evidence in my county where the subgroup of minorities actually scores higher than the white subgroups. There is also evidence that the “special education” students can achieve at the same level as the “regular” …show more content…
students. One of the criticisms is that there is too much testing. Margaret Spellings, the Education Secretary, says that the reason that we must test everyone every year is that there needs to be enough data to track progress. Before No Child Left Behind, only about half of the states were testing annually. The other states were simply testing a few grades here and there. They were testing third graders, eighth graders, and eleventh graders. This is not enough to gather enough information to see whether the kids are progressing adequately. According to Spellings (2007), 70% of the 90,000 schools are making the NCLB requirements, but that leaves 2,300 that aren’t. The answer doesn’t lie in simply restructuring schools. It lies in the serious reorganization of our policies and procedures when it comes to students that have issues. Tutoring and more intensive use of resources and accountability need to be the focus. Tutoring and resources are of huge concern in our area. The class sizes are too big and some children fall through the cracks in the regular classroom. After school tutoring may be the only place they can receive truly one on one instruction. However, there are those parents that cannot afford to miss work or leave work early to pick up their kids. This is where funding starts to come into play for activity buses to take the kids home after the programs. The accountability focus thus far has been on the schools, teachers, and administrators. This focus should shift when the NCLB law is reauthorized in 2010. Parents have been given the right to move their kids to other schools if they are unimpressed with the public schools’ ability to teach their children. The test scores that are the measuring device for success in the public schools have been given the power to change education. Unfortunately, this power, in the wrong hands, can only lead us into the abyss that is global failure. The hope is that modification of the law and its policies will eventually help our children, teachers, administrators, and parents to be more able to work together for the betterment of our children without laying blame and dispensing punishment. President Obama has made some great strides toward improving No Child Left Behind.
He has signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) which provides funding for education. Title I, Teacher incentives, technology grants, school improvement grants, school construction, and education for homeless children. This a great starting point. Additional funding is provided for special education, higher education, and early education programs. In addition to the funds, Obama has assembled a transition education team to bring his vision of the educational system into light. The committee has big plans to improve No Child Left Behind and the biggest way to do this is their report on assessment and accountability calls for using multiple measures of learning rather than the one test. This is a wonderful place to begin with the reformation of No Child Left Behind since the assessment and accountability are two major criticisms of the
law. I hope that these are only the beginnings of a better system of education that can benefit everyone. I don’t think that No Child Left Behind is a complete failure, but it will take serious change to bring it around to what it was meant to be. If we all stick together and work toward the goal of increasing our children’s achievement, we can and will succeed. The idea is great, but it was implemented too fast and without enough funding, time, and regulations to be truly effective throughout the educational system. Over time and with the support of our government, improvements can be made that work. I will continue to do my job with optimism and excitement to ensure that my students are prepared for the success that they all deserve.
Nichols, S and Berliner, D. 2008. From Testing the Joy out of Learning. In Noll, J. (15th Edition). Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Educational Issues. (pp.404-409). Boston: McGraw Hill.
Piche, D. 2007. From Basically a Good Model. In Noll, J. (15th Edition). Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Educational Issues. (pp. 410-413). Boston: McGraw Hill.
Alain, J. 2009. Is NCLB Working? NEA Today. Retrieved from. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3617/is_200901/ai_n31428532/
Naclerio, E. and Conde, R. 2008. Is NCLB Working for America? [Blog] Retrieved from http://nyteachers.wordpress.com/2008/03/11/is-nclb-working-for-america/
Starr, A. 2006. Is ‘No Child Left Behind Working’? NRTA Live & Learn, Fall 2006. Retrieved from http://www.aarp.org/aarp/live_and_learn/Education_Report/articles/jack_jennings_is_nclb_working.html
Spellings, M. 2007. NCLB is working, but it’s a ‘journey’. USA Today. Retrieved from http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2007/08/nclb-is-working.html
Great Schools. 2009. What the No Child Left Behind Law Means for Your Child. Retrieved from http://www.greatschools.net/improvement/quality-teaching/no-child-left-behind.gs?content=61
Levings, C. 2009. Update on ESEA Activities. Retrieved from
http://www.nea.org/home/NoChildLeftBehindAct.html
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The idea of No Child Left Behind is not a new one because it is only an extension of the 1965 law enacted by Lyndon Johnson. Every few years there is a refocusing of education and this is the latest focus. No Child Left Behind has had a huge impact on education. It is a difficult issue and will be something that will haunt us until 2014. When the deadline passes, will we be better off? That is the grueling question that remains to be seen. Nichols, Berliner (2008) believes that with all the testing that goes on in schools today, we have squeezed what enjoyment the kids …show more content…
used to get out of public schools right out of it. The kids that were on the verge of being totally disgusted with school have now been pushed over the edge of that realization. Those students that drop out say that their biggest reason is that school isn’t interesting and they did not feel motivated to continue. The over testing is the cause in most cases. It doesn’t start in the high schools. In elementary school the testing starts in the third grade and they are told about the test before they ever see it. The students are scared to death of “the test” and this is a recipe for failure. Students are tested at least twice a year from their third grade year until their eleventh grade year. These tests are in the forefront of the teacher, administrators, and now the student’s minds. In some schools, the administrators actually have catch phrases to “excite” the kids and encourage them to do well on the tests. The teachers are bogged down with teaching to the test that they cannot simply teach. The students are so bogged down with doing well on the test for the school, that they cannot simply enjoy learning. Kids are tired of hearing about the test and only getting to work on practicing for the test. There should be test preparation and events where students, parents, and teachers can come together and encourage the children in learning. These functions should not mention “the test” and should not strive to get kids to do well for the school. These events should bring forth a cooperative climate that the children can see as working for them to succeed. There should be support activities and encouraging sayings and words to inspire the kids to better themselves for themselves. I agree with the fact that teachers are not able to teach effectively what the students want to learn or will need to know for their success in the future. I do not agree that their success on a test is the measuring stick for their success in life. There are schools that make the kids accountable for their success or failure on the test by making it a requirement for graduation. I do not agree that this would be the best thing to do because kids that understand and can function in class may not be good test takers and therefore, fail the test. Not only that, but the students that can do well on the test may not function as well in the classroom. There is no student accountability in the county where I teach and this poses a great problem. Those that don’t care how they do will not try and therefore, drag the scores down with their apathy. Piche (2007) argues that No child left behind is not a complete loss and can be truly successful. There are schools that are improving and many more that can do the same. She asserts that there does need to be reform and that this will be a slow process. We should not abandon the law at the height of the disapproval for it. I agree that there needs to be a lot of reform from the political level that should filter down through the ranks so that at the school level and thus work better. There is too much leeway given to the local authorities on this issue. I realize that the federal government can only go so far, but at the state and county levels, there is too much variation in the policies that govern the procedures for following the law. For No Child Left Behind to be successful, states should not be allowed to make their own policies and regulations. There is too much room for variations that cause some schools to fly under the radar and not do their jobs effectively. There needs to be nationwide standards that all states must abide by and work up to in order to make sure that all children have a chance to succeed. In some New York schools, teachers’ tenure is revoked because of failing test scores. They are told that when students fail regardless of the real reason, that they did not try hard enough to inspire them to do well, Naclerio and Conde (2008). This puts teachers on high alert and in fear for their jobs. This causes teachers to teach only to the test and forget why the students are in school in the first place. This type of one-sided accountability is not the way to get the students to achieve because the teachers cannot be the only factor in students’ success or failure. At some point, the students must take responsibility for their own actions or lack thereof. There is no argument that there are schools and teachers who are not fully doing their jobs to help children reach their potential. However, the path that this accountability is travelling will only end with good teachers either losing their jobs or choosing to leave the education system altogether to another form of employment. I agree that there should be some accountability, but everyone needs to be held accountable. Jack Jennings of the Center of Education Policy contends that although No Child Left Behind has forced many schools to concentrate on students that they hadn’t before, the law is underfunded.
This is a major problem with No Child Left Behind because it takes more than testing to turn filing schools around. There have been kids that have been long ignored that have been brought to the forefront of education and this is a great thing. There are also those that use certain issues and problems outside the school system as a crutch for not succeeding. There are those that have overcome their own personal issues to succeed and to say to these young people that it is okay to blame their underachievement on their lack of income or ethnicity is ridiculous. There is evidence in my county where the subgroup of minorities actually scores higher than the white subgroups. There is also evidence that the “special education” students can achieve at the same level as the “regular” …show more content…
students. One of the criticisms is that there is too much testing. Margaret Spellings, the Education Secretary, says that the reason that we must test everyone every year is that there needs to be enough data to track progress. Before No Child Left Behind, only about half of the states were testing annually. The other states were simply testing a few grades here and there. They were testing third graders, eighth graders, and eleventh graders. This is not enough to gather enough information to see whether the kids are progressing adequately. According to Spellings (2007), 70% of the 90,000 schools are making the NCLB requirements, but that leaves 2,300 that aren’t. The answer doesn’t lie in simply restructuring schools. It lies in the serious reorganization of our policies and procedures when it comes to students that have issues. Tutoring and more intensive use of resources and accountability need to be the focus. Tutoring and resources are of huge concern in our area. The class sizes are too big and some children fall through the cracks in the regular classroom. After school tutoring may be the only place they can receive truly one on one instruction. However, there are those parents that cannot afford to miss work or leave work early to pick up their kids. This is where funding starts to come into play for activity buses to take the kids home after the programs. The accountability focus thus far has been on the schools, teachers, and administrators. This focus should shift when the NCLB law is reauthorized in 2010. Parents have been given the right to move their kids to other schools if they are unimpressed with the public schools’ ability to teach their children. The test scores that are the measuring device for success in the public schools have been given the power to change education. Unfortunately, this power, in the wrong hands, can only lead us into the abyss that is global failure. The hope is that modification of the law and its policies will eventually help our children, teachers, administrators, and parents to be more able to work together for the betterment of our children without laying blame and dispensing punishment. President Obama has made some great strides toward improving No Child Left Behind.
He has signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) which provides funding for education. Title I, Teacher incentives, technology grants, school improvement grants, school construction, and education for homeless children. This a great starting point. Additional funding is provided for special education, higher education, and early education programs. In addition to the funds, Obama has assembled a transition education team to bring his vision of the educational system into light. The committee has big plans to improve No Child Left Behind and the biggest way to do this is their report on assessment and accountability calls for using multiple measures of learning rather than the one test. This is a wonderful place to begin with the reformation of No Child Left Behind since the assessment and accountability are two major criticisms of the
law. I hope that these are only the beginnings of a better system of education that can benefit everyone. I don’t think that No Child Left Behind is a complete failure, but it will take serious change to bring it around to what it was meant to be. If we all stick together and work toward the goal of increasing our children’s achievement, we can and will succeed. The idea is great, but it was implemented too fast and without enough funding, time, and regulations to be truly effective throughout the educational system. Over time and with the support of our government, improvements can be made that work. I will continue to do my job with optimism and excitement to ensure that my students are prepared for the success that they all deserve.
Nichols, S and Berliner, D. 2008. From Testing the Joy out of Learning. In Noll, J. (15th Edition). Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Educational Issues. (pp.404-409). Boston: McGraw Hill.
Piche, D. 2007. From Basically a Good Model. In Noll, J. (15th Edition). Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Educational Issues. (pp. 410-413). Boston: McGraw Hill.
Alain, J. 2009. Is NCLB Working? NEA Today. Retrieved from. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3617/is_200901/ai_n31428532/
Naclerio, E. and Conde, R. 2008. Is NCLB Working for America? [Blog] Retrieved from http://nyteachers.wordpress.com/2008/03/11/is-nclb-working-for-america/
Starr, A. 2006. Is ‘No Child Left Behind Working’? NRTA Live & Learn, Fall 2006. Retrieved from http://www.aarp.org/aarp/live_and_learn/Education_Report/articles/jack_jennings_is_nclb_working.html
Spellings, M. 2007. NCLB is working, but it’s a ‘journey’. USA Today. Retrieved from http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2007/08/nclb-is-working.html
Great Schools. 2009. What the No Child Left Behind Law Means for Your Child. Retrieved from http://www.greatschools.net/improvement/quality-teaching/no-child-left-behind.gs?content=61
Levings, C. 2009. Update on ESEA Activities. Retrieved from
http://www.nea.org/home/NoChildLeftBehindAct.html