No Child Left Behind Law
On January 8, 2002 President George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act of2001 (NCLB Act). This historic piece of education legislation reauthorized and considerably expanded the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, first endorse in1965. Its most important title, Title I, has focused federal government attention and money on students in high poverty schools for over 35 years. Congress made noteworthy changes to the law in 1994, and the most recent changes build upon them dramatically. It also provided momentous funding increases. The new Act is the result of bipartisan leadership among five political leaders -- President Bush, Senators Kennedy and Gregg and Representatives Boehner and Miller -- and a large majority of the U.S. Congress who were clearly fed up with insufficient learning among the groups of students that federal programs are most supposed to help.(Dickard, 2001)
While a determined band of educators, advocates, and their philanthropic clique have pushed hard over the past decade and a half to improve the achievement and development of young adolescents, federally funded programs have practically ignored these students. Title I funds touched them infrequently, focusing chiefly on elementary school grades. Vocational education funds were for high school students. Safe and Drug Free Schools, Gear Up, and fractions of other programs helped students in the middle grades a bit, but no federal money supported their core academic learning.
The year 2001 began with the arrival of a new federal Administration that made education its top domestic precedence. In January 2001 President Bush sent to Congress his No Child Left Behind proposal. He specifically noted that over two-thirds of low-income and minority fourth graders are unable to read at a basic level and that "the federal government is partly at fault for tolerating these abysmal results."(Bush, 2001) He decried that "[t]he academic achievement gap between rich and poor, Anglo and minority is not only wide,
But in some cases is growing wider still."2 He called for bipartisan solutions to these challenges and proposed new programs, tougher accountability, and appropriations augment. Obviously, Congress responded in a bipartisan fashion. The NCLB Act continues the historic federal role of promoting equity and quality in elementary and secondary education, but with more money and teeth. It continues the federal "take it or leave it" approach that says, "if you want our money, you must meet our requirements." Of course this presuppose that federal politicians and bureaucrats will monitor implementation closely and "enforce" their requirements. The record of accomplishment here is spotty at best.
Implications and Predictions
The No Child Left Behind Act and the accompanying fund amplify offer many opportunities -- if taken by educators, advocates, parents, communities, and students -- to improve teaching and achievement of young adolescents. It aims federal money more than ever to high-poverty schools and districts. It is also includes tougher requirements because most educators did not take critically enough the provisions of the 1994 reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
Will the law be implemented as intended?
There are signs that many of its requirements make sense because states and districts have already begun conforming to them. The bully pulpits of the President and Secretary of Education have constantly sent an unwavering message of seriousness of purpose.
1. Building on this with more focused policy and program implementation, technical aid, and research strategies directed to children historically left behind. The Title I office in the U.S. Department of Education is refurbishing its monitoring and compliance activities. This spring it is initiating success-focused audits of states starting with those with the lowest student scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and biggest achievement gaps.
2. Some states will comply voluntarily with the new requirements. Others will quietly wait and see if the federal government is solemn about enforcement. Still others will challenge the government every step of the way and use political pressure to attempt to stop its enforcement activities. A very few may refuse to apply for funds, but they may be susceptible to civil rights litigation if they do.
3. Much better data on student achievement and teacher qualifications and performance will be available soon from all states. It will provide powerful tools for advocates, parents, and the publics who can demand alter through publicity and the ballot box.
4. There is possibility to get more attention to reading and language arts in the middle grades as well as the earlier grades. NAEP data shows more progress in math...
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