The No Child Left Behind Act

The education system is deeply flawed. It does not fight social injustice, but rather exacerbates the issue. The majority of people in the U.S are blind to the fact that there are still inequities within the education system, much less everyday life. A system based on standardized test scores inadvertently oppresses poor people. The Governments ' decision to judge a schools ' success by its test scores evidently created a faucet of running water for systematic oppression. The flowing water of oppression floods poor schools; drowning students with dreams, and giving no mercy. The only ones safe from the water are the privileged, who are oblivious to the fact that it exists.

When President George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) into law in 2002, the legislation had one goal-- to improve educational equity for all students in the United States by implementing standards for student achievement and school district and teacher performance. Before the No Child Left Behind Act, the program of study for most schools was developed and implemented by individual states and local communities’ school boards. Proponents of the NCLB believed that lax oversight and lack of measurable standards by state and local communities was leading to the failure of the education system and required federal government intervention to correct. At the time, the Act seemed to be what the American educational system

On September 11, 2001, America as we know it changed forever. We were attacked on our own soil for the first time since the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. Our country thought we were safe from terrorist attacks due to the oceans that separated us. We discovered on that horror-filled day that we were extremely incorrect. Our own resources were used against us in those atrocious acts of terrorism. America was transformed from the numerous consequences that came from 9/11. Despite the attacks, the leaders and our nation came together for support and comfort.

In 2004, coinciding with the conclusion of President George W. Bush’s first term in office, United States Secretary of Education, Rod Paige, released an essay depicting the successes of his administration. Paige’s department spearheaded the initiative sparked by the No Child Left Behind Act, a set of policies enacted to reform education and provide students with an improved degree of learning more suited to the evolving job market. Paige brings light to the findings of his administration, presenting what he considers to be evidence explicitly showing the successful nature of these programs. Through numerous faults with his argumentation and reasoning, however, Paige’s opinion on the outcome of said policies is highly debatable. To judge

Good intentions are no excuse to continue a fail policy. Since the No Child left Behind Act (NCLB) became in effect, teachers have been restricted to teach in a certain way.

The No child left behind act has been a big issues ever since its establishment in 2009 by President George Bush. There has been cry by some parents for the law to be repeal because they feel it is creating more problem for the educational system. However, critical analysis of the situation of the students grades by comparing the period before and after the establishment of No child left behind will show that the law has brought tremendous improvement in our education and need to stay.

First, what is the achievement gap? According to the achievement gap in education refers to systematic variances in the ability to learn between students from majority populations and students from minority populations. The most significant effort made by the federal government to improve the nation 's schools and student learning is the 2002 reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The ESEA was largely designed to address the achievement gap in multicultural education. However, improvement in the academic performances of poor and minority students has been slow over the last forty years.

The decisions made in the years from the 2000 election to the next one will forever change America. “Last week, America and the world marked the fifth anniversary of the attacks that filled another September morning with death and suffering (Address by President George W. Bush: Appendix 1).” In 2001 a terrible terrorist attack happened

“Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve” (George W. Bush). Bush was referring to Tuesday September 11, 2001. This day is what woke up the sleeping giant that was America and forced America to form into a great country again. Events in the 2000’s such as the signing of Bush Doctrine, creation of homeland security, Google, the successful mapping of genome, Obama becoming the first non-white president, Wikipedia was launched, all helped improve our country. Between politics, american values, foreign affairs/conflicts, popular culture, the economy, and technology/ innovation all make this century worth studying.

“Yesterday, December 7, 1941 -- a date which will live in infamy -- the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.”1 This quote by Franklin D. Roosevelt marks the address to congress concerning one of the most impacting events in the history of the United States: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Twentieth century American history was filled with monumental events. From the assassination of William McKinley and subsequent presidency of Theodore Roosevelt, to Black Thursday in 1929, to the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965; numerous events throughout the last century helped mold the landscape of the United States for decades to

Data-driven instruction means teaching needs to be based on data. The No Child Left Behind Act holds schools and districts responsible for student’s achievement, which implemented schools to collect, store, and manipulated data to modify the instructions. Teachers are held responsible for student reaching their goals. The teacher is able to show improvement by using the data that is collected. In attention, the teacher is about to use the data to show improvement. The data could also be used to modify instructions. The teacher is able to use the collected data to modify instruction to meet the students’ needs. For example, if the teacher is collecting

The No Child Left Behind Act was implemented to ensure that students in a secondary education public school could attaint the goals set out by the state, have a safe learning environment, and teachers whom are prepared and educated enough to teach all students. The goal of the “No Child Left Behind Act” was to guarantee the success of all students despite the socioeconomic status, backgrounds, even disabilities. It was enacted to “close any gaps” between each individual student despite their many differences; whether those difference be physical, mental, or emotional all students must attain the same scores and reach 100% proficiency.

The No Child Left Behind Act “NCLB” was a bill passed by the Senate in 2001 and signed into law by President George W. Bush on January 8, 2002. It was a revision of the Elementary and Secondary Act “ESEA” of 1965 by President Lyndon Johnson. The NCLB was intended to help children in lower-income families achieve the same standard of education as children in higher income families. This was done by the federal government providing extra finances for Title I schools in exchange for a rise in academic progress. According to Fair Test, if a state wanted to receive funding through the NCLB, the state had to set a proficiency level through standardized testing in grades 3-8 and once in high school, and report those scores to the public (Fair Test). The NCLB act had a goal of reaching 100% proficiency in all schools by the end of the 2014 academic school year This goal would mean a dramatic change in the schooling system and how we look at and treat education. Not only would the students be affected nationwide, but so would teachers and schools. But should the government and politicians be allowed to govern what is being taught in our children’s classrooms instead of their teachers? Although the intentions of the NCLB Act were noble and for the benefit of all, good intentions don’t make for a good education.

“Accountability is incredibly important for the school systems. People shouldn't fear accountability, they ought to welcome an accountability system as a useful tool to make sure no child is left behind” George Bush quoted. When the No Child Left Behind Act was passed in 2001, president George Bush along with many other people had different expectations at that time. Expectations that included improvement in testing scores, progress increase in grades along with improvement in teachers. For a short period of time this appeared to have worked, however with the course of time it is evident that NCLB has many flaws that have reflected in the outcome.

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) was passed in 2001.This law mandates that all students are required to have access to the general education curriculum and participate in accountability testing. Specifically “all students with disabilities should have access to, participate in, and make progress in, the general curriculum,” (Ayres, K. M., Lowrey, K. A., Douglas, K. H., & Sievers, C., 2011). The Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) of 2004 ensures students with disabilities have access to a free and appropriate public education (FAPE), meaningful, and in the least restrictive environment. There is a huge disconnect between implementing both laws because NCLB holds stakeholder’s accountable for teaching students with severe disabilities from the general curricula but on the other hand IDEA mandates students learn from an individualized curricula that support their post- secondary needs.