No Child Left Behind: Reformed Education

By: Alicia Faulk

University of Phoenix

June 22, 2015

Rebecca Hewett

President George W. Bush signed a new education bill that may change the way you learn at school (“No Child,” 2002, p. 4). Advocates saw it as a way to hold schools accountable and provide workable standards of proficiency in education (“No Child,” 2015). Even though the No Child Left Behind Act was passed in 2001 it wasn't signed into law on January 8, 2002 (“No Child,” 2004, p. 1). The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is to ensure that all kids receive a first class education, making sure teachers are highly qualified, and the schools accountability to ensure that the children are learning by test results. The NCLB Act is aimed at improving the performance of every public school (“No Child,” 2002 p. 4). According to (Sunderman, 2009, p. 547), education is typically viewed as a state and local responsibility related to core educational functions, but the NCLB move this relationship in the direction of expanding the federal role over states, while strengthening the roles of states over local districts.

While the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) is the most significant and controversial change, the government assumed a major role in education in the 1960s (Sunderman 2009, p. 546 ). The new bill also requires all states to "set high standards of achievement" for students, and forces them to come up with ways to measure student performance (“No Child,” 2002, p. 4). The NCLB is for every child to receive a first-class education, states have developed benchmarks to measure progress and make sure every child is learning (“No Child,” 2004, p. 10). The NCLB also provides parents with more choices in their children's education and gives towns and cities better control over schools (“No Child,”2002, p. 4). Also the NCLB Act required changes for teachers and their standard to teach core educational course they must be “highly qualified”(“No Child,” 2004, p. 10). What does “highly qualified” mean according to the law, and what does this mean for teachers? According to (“No Child,” 2004) the law requires teachers to have a bachelor’s degree and full state certification and to demonstrate content knowledge in the subjects they teach(p. 10). For the second requirement, the state has freedom to define certification, according to its needs. The state can use this opportunity to strengthen and streamline its certification requirements. It can also create alternate routes to certification. Regarding the third requirement, states have significant flexibility to design ways to allow teachers to demonstrate competency in the subjects they teach, especially for teachers with experience (“No Child,” 2004, p. 10). The law also requires that states consider the differences between elementary and secondary teachers, as well as differences between newly hired and experienced teachers (“No Child Left,” 2004, p. 10).

The NCLB also holds the schools accountable for the students’ results to show the improvement in school. It expands the federal role in education, requires states to develop and implement a test-based accountability system based on criteria established by the federal government, and specifies a timeline for when students must demonstrate proficiency as measured by reading and mathematics assessments (Sunderman 2009, p. 546). The legislative language of No Child Left Behind stated that "(e)ach State shall establish a timeline for adequate yearly progress” (“No Child,” 2015). The NCLB proficiency requirements apply to all subgroups of students. The law defines “subgroups” as economically disadvantaged students, students from major racial and ethnic groups, students with disabilities, and students with limited English proficiency (Sunderman 2009, p. 546). Also, NCLB requires that 95 percent of students, and 95 percent of students in each subgroup within a school, take the state assessments. A school or district can fail to make adequate yearly progress if a single subgroup of students does not meet the proficiency targets or the participation requirements (Sunderman 2009, p. 546).

According to (“No Child,” 2004) some critics say the education bill doesn't give schools enough money to make these changes (p. 4). But former President Bush believed the bill will be a fresh start for students: "From this day forward, all students will have a better chance to learn, to excel, and to live out their dreams," he said (“No Child,” 2004, p. 4). While the No Child Left Behind Act has been the most recent controversial, federal education law it has ensured that all kids receive a first class education, making sure teachers are highly qualified, and the schools accountability for the results of all students. As problems are addressed, no one should forget the concerns that motivated the initial enthusiasm for NCLB, namely a concern that we did not have adequate measurement of and accountability for our children's educational outcomes (“No Child,” 2015).

Reference Page

No child left behind. (2002, Feb 11). Junior Scholastic, 104, 4. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/202826780?accountid=458

No child left behind. (2015, Jan 14). Deseret News Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1645091126?accountid=35812

Sunderman, G. (2009). No Child Left Behind Act. In E. Provenzo, & A. Provenzo (Eds.), Encyclopedia of the social and cultural foundations of education. (pp. 546-549). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc. doi: http://dx.doi.org.contentproxy.phoenix.edu/10.4135/9781412963992.n262

No Child Left Behind: A Toolkit for Teachers. (2004) U.S. Department of Education, Office of the Deputy Secretary, Washington, D.C., http://www2.ed.gov/teachers/nclbguide/nclb-teachers-toolkit.pdf