(No Child Left behind Act Aims to Improve Success for All Students and Eliminate the Achievement Gap)
Parents will also gain knowledge regarding how the quality of learning is happening in their child's class. They will get information regarding the progress of their child vis-a-vis other children. Parents have of late been given the privilege to ask for information regarding the level of skills of the teachers. It offers parents assistance and alternatives for fulfilling the learning requirements of their children. Parents will be aware as to when their child is lagging behind and they will have fresh alternatives in case their child's school is not fulfilling their requirements. Proponents are of the opinion that schools which are unable to raise their standards must utilize their federal funds to receive children additional assistance; which may indicate shifting to a superior school in the region or paying for extra services in…...
mlaReferences
Boehner, John. (October 7, 2004) "No Child Left behind is working" House Education & the Workforce Committee. Retrieved at Accessed on 17 November, 2004http://edworkforce.house.gov/issues/108th/recess/nclbworks.htm .
Clarke, T. (May, 2004) "No Child Left behind Needs Help." Work and Family Newsbrief. Pp: 6-10
Hocker, Cliff. (August, 2004) "A Failing Grade for No Child Left Behind: Is President Bush's Key Domestic Program living up to the Promise of Better Education?" Black Enterprise. Volume: 11; No:1; pp: 18-24
Jerry, Aldridge. (September, 2003) "Rethinking the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001" Childhood Education. Volume: 10; No: 1; pp: 37-44
III. Other Issues and Challenges
The No Child Left ehind act is viewed by many if not most of today's teachers as having tunnel vision and that acknowledges little but standardized testing outcomes. Specifically reported by Dillon (2009) in the 2009 New York Times article entitled: "No Child Law Is Not Closing a Racial Gap" that there has not been a narrowing of the gap between white and minority students in recent years..." (Dillon, 2009) Additionally stated by Dillon (2009) is that according to experts the No Child left ehind act has "failed to make serious headway in lifting academic achievement." (2009)
Zach Miners reported in the 2009 work entitled: "No Child Left ehind Law Loses Support that when the NCL was signed by President George W. ush in 2002, "…policy met with bipartisan praise and looked set to become the most influential federal reform of the nation's schools since desegregation in…...
mlaBibliography
Darling-Hammond, Linda (2007) Evaluating 'No Child Left Behind' 2 May 2007. The Nation. Online available at: http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070521/darling-hammond
Dillon, Sam (209) Rename Law? No Wisecrack Is Left Behind? The New York Times 22 Feb 2009. Online available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/23/education/23child.html
Dillon, Sam (2009) No Child Law Is Not closing a Racial Gap. 28 Apr 2009. The New York Times. Online available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/29/education/29scores.html
Miners, Zach (2009) No Child Left Behind Law Loses Support 9 Dec 2009. Nation & World. Online U.S. News & World Report. Available at: http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/2009/12/09/no-child-left-behind-law-loses-support.html
These authors note that the obstacles for ELL students are particularly challenging, given that they include both educational and technical issues. These challenges include the following:
Historically low ELL performance and very slow improvement. State tests show that ELL students' academic performance is far below that of other students, oftentimes 20 to 30 percentage points lower, and usually shows little improvement across many years.
Measurement accuracy. esearch shows that the language demands of tests negatively influence accurate measurement of ELL performance. For the ELL student, tests measure both achievement and language ability.
Instability of the ELL student subgroup. The goal of redesignating high-performing ELL students as language-proficient students causes high achievers among ELL students to exit the subgroup. The consequence is downward pressure on ELL test scores, worsened by the addition of new ELL students, who are typically low achievers.
Factors outside of a school's control. esearch shows substantial nonschool effects on student…...
mlaReferences
Abedi, J., & Dietel, R. (2004). Challenges in the No Child Left Behind Act for English-language learners. Phi Delta Kappan, 85(10), 782.
Arce, J., Luna, D., Borjian, a., & Conrad, M. (2005). No Child Left Behind: Who wins? Who loses? Social Justice, 32(3), 56.
Artiles, a.J., Rueda, R., Salazar, J.J., & Higareda, I. (2005). Within-group diversity in minority disproportionate representation: English language learners in urban school districts. Exceptional Children, 71(3), 283.
Ascher, C. (2006). NCLB's supplemental educational services: Is this what our students need? Phi Delta Kappan, 88(2), 136.
There are over 4.4 million ELs enrolled in U.S. public schools, a number that has doubled during the last decade, making ELs roughly 10% of the total enrollment nationwide (Conrad 2005). The demographic increases demonstrate to government agencies that more needs to be done to support and ensure their integration and success in the educational process, and standardized testing in English is the least appropriate way to meet their needs (Conrad 2005). Moreover, it is not yet clear how states will define progress for students with significant cognitive disabilities related to state standards in reading, math, and science (Cooper-Duffy 2003).
Despite the stated intent of NCLB to improve outcomes for all students, particularly those who have been historically neglected, educators and others may adopt a series of "gaming" practices, which give students a special education classification to exclude them from high-stakes tests, in order to artificially inflate schools' passing rates…...
mlaWorks Cited
Booher-Jennings, Jennifer. (2006 June 01). Rationing education in an era of accountability. Phi Delta Kappan. Retrieved November 27, 2006 from HighBeam Research Library.
Conrad, Marguerite. (2005 September 22). No child left behind: who wins? who loses?
Social Justice. Retrieved November 27, 2006 from HighBeam Research Library.
Cooper-Duffy, Karena. (2003 September 22). Evidence-based practices for students with severe disabilities and the requirement for accountability in No Child Left Behind. Journal of Special Education. Retrieved November 27, 2006 from HighBeam Research Library.
In principle, it is now believed that the traditional emphasis on passive learning through lectures and textbook methods of instruction are far less effective than active methods of academic instruction. Whereas modern educators have been pushing for public education systems to move away from passive learning methods, the NCLB creates the exact opposite incentive: to waste classroom modules memorizing information for the test and practicing test-taking instead of learning (Darling-Hammond, 2004; Murray, 2006).
Similarly, modern education theorists have been suggesting that the traditional educational emphasis on reading, writing, and arithmetic are already too narrow a focus because that method neglects the needs of many students. Human intelligence represents so many different types of talents and abilities that the range of subject matter and teaching styles should be increased rather than decreased even further to accommodate the need to drill students in specific areas for the express purpose of representing their…...
mlaReferences
Darling-Hammond L. "NCLB Implementation Challenges: The Local Superintendent's
View" Peabody Journal of Education, Vol 80, pp. 156-169; (2004).
Murray C. "Acid Tests: No Child Left Behind is Beyond Uninformative. It Is Deceptive"
The Wall Street Journal, (7/25/06). Accessed 27 Jan 2010, from www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110008701
Review and Comment
Indications suggest that Obama will endorse a rewritten version of No Child Left ehind once requirements like teacher quality and academic standards are toughened up to focus more attention on failing schools. This will mean more, not less, federal involvement in the program. Overall, reaction to Obama's plans are negative. Most who were opposed to ush's policy had hoped for a brand new start rather than a rehash of the old bill (No child left behind act, 2009).
While this article presents a convincing argument that No Child Left ehind has fallen short of its original goals, there are those who think it has improved public education for some students, especially those with learning disabilities.
The bill forces schools to issue easy-to-interpret report cards that break down a student's progress, including those with learning disabilities. It establishes proficiency levels specifically for the disabled student in order to hold the school…...
mlaBibliography
Nation's report card shows record gains. (2007, Sept). Retrieved Dec 6, 2009, from Ed.gov: http://www.ed.gov/nclb/accountability/achieve/report-card2007.html
No child left behind. (2004, Sept 21). Retrieved Dec 6, 2009, from edweek.org: http://www.edweek.org/rc/issues/no-child-left-behind/
No child left behind act. (2009, Oct 15). Retrieved Dec 6, 2009, from The new york times: http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/n/no_child_left_behind_act/index.html
Rogers, G. (2009, May 22). How the no child left behind act is failing students. Retrieved Dec 6, 2009, from Articlesbase.com: http://www.articlesbase.com/education-articles/how-the-no-child-left-behind-act-is-failing-students-930464.html
72). Therefore, the effect of the Act is this regard is positive. The same article states, "many districts, however, do not have the resources to implement them. Almost all (97%), for example, said they did not have the money to extend the school day or year" (Lewis, p. 72). The above statement provides an excellent example of the effects on local school systems by Federal mandates.
Since the act was meant to assist every student in achieving certain goals, and the Act states that every student should be afforded an equal opportunity to obtain an education, it makes sense in order to achieve these lofty goals that all children be given every tool possible to assist them in becoming better educated. Many of these tools are cost effective and valuable to the students (and the teachers) but the expense of providing them still has to be borne by someone. Since…...
mlaReferences
Lewis, a.C., (2008) Improving student outcomes, the Education Digest, Vol. 73, No. 5, pp. 72-73
NCLB Hits Minorities (2004) the Education Digest, Vol. 69, No. 9, pp. 52-53
Single sex classes, (2006) the Education Digest, Vol. 72, No.3, pp. 72-73
Vail, K., (2006) Is physical fitness raising grades?, the Education Digest, Vol. 71, No. 8, pp. 13 -- 19
The issue is fairly straightforward, and it does not require special teaching theories or extensive legislation in order to be corrected. Students are being failed at a young age and throughout school by a system that is so intent on finding ways to show progress that it stops paying attention to any real measures. This problem is exacerbated by funding that is performance-dependent, as it only leads to the inflation of assessment scores. This not only helps to masks issues on a national level, but it fails countless individual students who deserve a better education than the one they are being allowed to skate by with. Reform is wonderful when it is useful, but when it is a tool for legislatures, administrators, and educational theorists to feel like they are getting things done, it becomes far more destructive than simply letting things continue unhindered would.
I am very much a proponent…...
No Child Left Behind Act
Impact of the "No Child Left Behind Act" in California Schools
The Federal "No Child Left Behind Act of 2001" which President Bush signed into law in January 2002, has been an issue of debate across the country for the last two years. Its impact on public education has varied from state to state.
According to the "No Child Left Behind Act of 2001," every state must annually test all students in grades 3 through 8 in math and reading by 2005, and in science by 2007 (http://www.greatschools.net/cgibin/showarticle/CA/205/improve).
Moreover states must "demonstrate adequate yearly progress toward learning standards for all groups of students," including the economically disadvantaged, racial and ethnic groups, disabled students such as physically or mentally challenged, and those students who are limited in the English language (http://www.greatschools.net/cgibin/showarticle/CA/205/improve).The goal of the NCLB is to achieve 100% proficiency for all students within twelve years and for every…...
mlaWorks Cited
About The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001." EdSource Online. May 2003. http://www.edsource.org/edu_esea.cfm#features .
A accessed 11-04-2003).
Hauck, Bill. "Overview of the Federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 Impact on California Education Policies." Cal-Tax Digest. November 2002. 11-04-03).http://www.caltax.org/member/digest/nov2002/11.2002.Hauck-OverviewFederalNoChildLeftBehind.04.htm.(accessed
Nagel, Terry. "What No Child Left Behind Means for Your Child."
No Child Left Behind Act (Public Law 107-110, 115), is a Congressional Act signed into law by George . Bush in January 2002. The Bill was a bi-partisan initiative, supported by Senator Edward Kennedy, and authorized a number of federal programs designed to improve standards for educational accountability across all States, districts, and increase the focus on reading. Much of the NCLB focus is based on the view that American students are falling behind in educational basis when scored are compared globally. Contrary to popular opinion, NCLB does not establish a national achievement standard; each State must set its own standards, but in order to receive funding, the States must meet a basic criteria of performance (Abernathy, 2007).[footnoteRef:1] [1: See: "Fact Sheet on the No Child left Behind Act," from the U.S. Department of Education, Cited in: http://www.ed.gov/nclb/overview/intro/factsheet.html; Also see: "NCLB: Conspiracy, Compliance or Creativity?" Cited in: http://www.middleweb.com/HMnclb.html.]
The national school…...
mlaWorks Cited
Abernathy, S. (2007). No Child Left Behind and the Public Schools. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.
Center on Education Policy. (March 2010). How Many Schools Have Not Made Adequate Yearly Progress Under the No Child Left Behind Act? Retrieved from: http://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED508803
Marzano, R.J. (2003). What works in schools: Translating research into action. Alexandria:VA: ASCD.
Partee, G. (December 2012). Using Multiple Evaluation Measures to Improve Teacher Effectiveness. American Progress. Retrieved from: http://www.americanprogress.org .
No Child Left Behind: Promises and Practical Realities
The Background of No Child Left Behind year before "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB) became the law of the land, President George . Bush set the tone for the emerging legislation, saying it would be "the cornerstone of my Administration." He also stated that "too many of our neediest children are being left behind." And when Bush signed NCLB into law on January 8, 2002, he had seemingly achieved strong bipartisan support for a major overhaul of how teachers and schools are to be held accountable for the successes or failures they demonstrate in their efforts to educate children. Democratic Senator Ted Kennedy, a long-time strong education advocate, was invited to participate in the ceremony, and to be photographed with Bush at the signing. There was much fanfare, posturing, polemics and press coverage. However, two years after Bush had called NCLB "the cornerstone"…...
mlaWorks Cited
Cardman, Michael. "Most after-school requests not funded, report says."
Education Daily 36 (2003): 4.
Gorman, Trish, & Wohl, Alex. "No Child Left Behind: Where's the Money?"
American Federation of Teachers Jan. 2003. http://www.aft.org .
No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
Key political, or legal issues, changes in K-12 assessment goals
A Statute of instructive practice within the K-12 cluster involves instruction, curriculum and assessment among students. In this case, alignment ensures that the three capacities coordinated with the same goal and strengthened instead of working at cross-purposes. An appraisal will also measure the success of what the students are being taught on whether their educational needs students are satisfied (Olivert, 2007). Assuming that any of the capacities is not synchronized, it will disturb the balance and skew the process of education. The results of the assessment will be deceiving or instruction will be insufficient. Alignment is troublesome to realize in some cases. Frequently, a focal hypothesis about the nature of learning and knowing around which of the three capacities have been coordinated is required.
Most recent methodologies to educational assessment, instruction and curriculum have been…...
mlaReferences
Hayes, W. (2008). No Child Left Behind Past, present, and future. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Education.
Olivert, D.P. (2007). No Child Left Behind Act: Text, interpretation, and changes. New York: Nova Science Publishers.
Stecher, B.M., Vernez, G. & Steinberg, P.S. (2010). Reauthorizing No Child Left Behind: Facts and recommendations. Santa Monica, CA: RAND.
Negatives in No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
hat's wrong with the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation that President George . Bush and key members of the U.S. Congress put together in such a cooperative spirit in 2001? The NCLB was signed into law (in January, 2002) with such fanfare that teachers, parents, students and school boards nationwide had high hopes for a revolution in the way teachers teach and students learn. But something has gone wrong -- in fact many things about NCLB just haven't panned out the way they were supposed to. The NCLB era is simply not what it was cracked up to be, and this paper reviews and critiques the reasons why, and the specific points of contention vis-a-vis NCLB's weaknesses and flaws. The Obama Administration has pledged to revise NCLB, but there are many legislative and political challenges facing the administration's plans, and as of August,…...
mlaWorks Cited
Annie Schleicher, No Child Left Behind / States Struggle to Reach Teacher Qualification Goals, PBS NewsHour, 1-4, Retrieved August 6, 2011, from (2006).http://www.pbs.org/ .
Christopher Knaus, Still Segregated, Still Unequal: Analyzing the Impact of No Child Left Behind on African-American Students. University of California, Berkeley, 1-11 (2007).
Huffington Post, Atlanta Public Schools Shaken by Cheating Report, Retrieved August 6, 2011, from (2011).http://www.huffingtonpost.com .
Linda R. Valli, No Child Behind's Emphasis on 'Teaching to the Test' Undermines Quality Teaching, University of Maryland / UMD Newsdesk, Retrieved August 6, 2011, from (2008).http://newsdesk.umd.edu/culture/release.cfm?articleID=1576 .
No Child Left Behind Historical EventIntroductionFew historical events have had a bigger impact on curriculum in the US than the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) , which effectively changed the ways teachers taught all over the nation. By mandating standardized testing as part of a funding program, the federal government essentially created a standardized national curriculum. This paper will discuss the NCLB, its impact on education in the US, how it has influenced my understanding, and how it relates to my work.NCLBThe No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act was a federal law in the United States that was enacted in 2001 and aimed to improve the education system and close the achievement gap between different student populations (Powell et al., 2009). The law required states to develop standardized tests in reading and mathematics, and schools were held accountable for ensuring that all students reached proficiency in these subjects by…...
mlaReferences
Byrd-Blake, M., Afolayan, M. O., Hunt, J. W., Fabunmi, M., Pryor, B. W., & Leander, R.
(2010). Morale of teachers in high poverty schools: A post-NCLB mixed methods analysis. Education and urban society, 42(4), 450-472.
Menken, K. (2009). No Child Left Behind and its effects on language policy. Annual Review of
Educational Policy and ELLs
In 2015, President Obama signed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which re-affirmed the civil rights law obligated schools to ensure that ELLs have equal access to education (NCELA, 2016; Colorin Colorado, 2017). The same concept underlining this Act was previously found in the No Child Left Behind policy. The effect that this policy has had on the education of is that it has helped to ensure that ELLs receive fair treatment in schools and receive the help they require.
Because ELLs come from a foreign environment and culture, they are more likely to require special assistance when it comes to acquiring the L2. Their familiarity with the new surroundings and the manner of expressions is less than a learner who has been raised in the native environment.
Some specific ways that the policy has helped ELLs is that it has taken into consideration that situation substantially. For instance,…...
mlaReferences
American Federation of Teachers. (2016). Retrieved from Colorin Colorado. (2017). Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and English languagelearners. Retrieved from http://www.colorincolorado.org/ell-basics/ell-policy-research/ell-laws-regulations/essa-ells Ferguson, M. (2016). Washington View: ESSA is more than the latest acronym oneducation’s block. Phi Delta Kappan, 97(6), 72-73.NCELA. (2016). Legal obligations. Retrieved from http://www.ncela.us/faqs/view/6 http://www.aft.org /sites/default/files/essa_ells.pdf
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