No Child-Left Behind Act
In Theory: The No Child Left Behind Act
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (often referred to as No Child Left Behind) was a landmark in education reform designed to improve student achievement and change the culture of America's schools. President George W. Bush described this law as the "cornerstone of my administration" (Department of Education). It allows low-income families, whose children traditionally have less academic opportunities, to move to private school or specialized charter schools via a school voucher. The act was expected to introduce high standards for education, the belief that all children, regardless of class, should have equal opportunities to learn, and accountability for failing school systems. However, the act …show more content…
Programs that have been implemented at schools across the country include standardized after-school math programs, Reading First, which provides grants to schools to help implement scientifically proven methods of instruction, and the Mathematics and Science Initiative, which helps to ensure that schools use scientifically proven methods of teaching math and science (National Education Assn). It is clear that the main goal of these programs is to improve learning rates and thereby increase test scores, which has indeed happened in many school …show more content…
Arts programs throughout the country have had to be cut or reduced due to lack of funding from the government. Richard Colwell, author of "Whither Programs and Arts Policy?" states that, though the outcomes of an arts education are unique and beneficial to the student, under the NCLB act, they (fine arts programs) are ignored (22). He goes on to state that students will never be able to "compete in a globalized world" if the NCLB act continues the way it has been (25). Colwell advises fine arts teachers to "ignore the present trends in teacher education and develop their own programs" in order to avoid being crushed by the NCLB (25). Colwell suggests that these problems could be avoided if only the government would "step up" their funding of the programs and the
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (often referred to as No Child Left Behind) was a landmark in education reform designed to improve student achievement and change the culture of America's schools. President George W. Bush described this law as the "cornerstone of my administration" (Department of Education). It allows low-income families, whose children traditionally have less academic opportunities, to move to private school or specialized charter schools via a school voucher. The act was expected to introduce high standards for education, the belief that all children, regardless of class, should have equal opportunities to learn, and accountability for failing school systems. However, the act …show more content…
Programs that have been implemented at schools across the country include standardized after-school math programs, Reading First, which provides grants to schools to help implement scientifically proven methods of instruction, and the Mathematics and Science Initiative, which helps to ensure that schools use scientifically proven methods of teaching math and science (National Education Assn). It is clear that the main goal of these programs is to improve learning rates and thereby increase test scores, which has indeed happened in many school …show more content…
Arts programs throughout the country have had to be cut or reduced due to lack of funding from the government. Richard Colwell, author of "Whither Programs and Arts Policy?" states that, though the outcomes of an arts education are unique and beneficial to the student, under the NCLB act, they (fine arts programs) are ignored (22). He goes on to state that students will never be able to "compete in a globalized world" if the NCLB act continues the way it has been (25). Colwell advises fine arts teachers to "ignore the present trends in teacher education and develop their own programs" in order to avoid being crushed by the NCLB (25). Colwell suggests that these problems could be avoided if only the government would "step up" their funding of the programs and the