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Ensuring every child in the United States receives an education that is free and appropriate was not as important 30, even 40 years ago. In fact, during the 1920s thru the 60s era, separate but not equal was the norm. It was because of this, one of the most expansive education reform policies was enacted. Congress approved the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 on April 9, 1965. According to Social Welfare History Project, this act was enacted as part of the “War on Poverty” campaign initiated by President Johnson.
The reason for this bill was to help children of low-income families overcome poverty.
Since then, there have been several pieces of legislation introduced to improve education in the United States. The next significant policy introduced was the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). This act would be in effect for many years.
The purpose of this paper is to explore the effects of the No Child Left Behind Act on education. This paper will look at this policy and its social, historical, and philosophical foundations including the theories associated with each.
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This paper will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this policy. Finally, this paper will critically evaluate the components of this policy and policies enacted to replace it.
Contemporary Issues in Education
Historical foundation and Information about NCLB
The No Child Left Behind Act was introduced in Congress in 2001 and signed into law in 2002 by President Busch. The purpose of this policy was to replace the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Although there were a variety of reasons for the implementation of this policy, the primary purpose was to ensure that all students achieve educational goals as deemed appropriate for their age/grade.
Standerfer (2007), reports that legislation before the ESEA only focused on providing funding or land for schools and special programs.
Unlike the ESEA that was careful not to intrude on states' rights to make decisions on curriculum and the general operations of schools, the NCLB mandated guidelines for state and local districts to adhere to. For instance, the NCLB had strict mandates for student educational growth. According to Yell (2006), the NCLB mandated that school districts assume responsibility for all students reaching 100% student proficiency levels within twelve years. This meant students would be required to take standardized tests assessing academic content.
Even though local school districts were required to administer standardized tests, it was mandated that each state set proficiency standards. States were required to ensure all students were assessed on the proficiency standards. This was called adequate yearly progress, or AYP. In order to meet AYP, states had to ensure the percentage of students in a district that meet the proficiency standard increased yearly. If school districts failed to show adequate yearly progress, the NCLB policy mandates that requirements be met and actions applied that lead to student achievement of the proficiency levels.
Another mandate of the NCLB was directed toward administration and teachers. The NCLB requires all teachers to be highly qualified. According to Selwyn (2007), teachers must undergo strict testing to show proficiency in the specified content area. In addition to demonstrating proficiency in the specified content area, teachers are required to hold a bachelor's degree and be certified. The certification process is determined by each individual state. This gives states the opportunity to determine what is needed for educational success.
The reasoning behind ensuring all teachers are highly qualified is it promotes student achievement and academic growth. According to Kolodziej (2011), requiring all teachers were highly qualified benefitted the students. The United States Department of Education states that teachers are one of the most critical factors in student achievement. Studies conducted by the U.S. Dept. Of Education in Texas and Tennessee show that students with effective teachers outperformed students whose teachers were ineffective.
Even though the NCLB does not require mandate all teachers test to determine whether or not they meet their state’s highly qualified teacher requirements in the subjects they teach, they do require all new teachers to be tested. The policy clearly outlined a list of minimum requirements regarding content knowledge and teaching skills that a highly qualified teacher needed to meet. The policy also recognized the importance of state and local control of education. Because of this, NCLB provided the opportunity for each state to develop a definition of highly qualified that was consistent with NCLB as well as with the unique needs of the state.
Philosophical Foundations and Goals of the NCLB
There were five main goals of the No Child Left Behind Act. The first goal of NCLB was to ensure that all students achieved high academic standards by attaining proficiency or better in reading and mathematics by the 2013–2014 school year. The second goal of NCLB is to ensure that teachers are highly qualified. This includes being certified by the state they teach in. The third goal is to ensure that all students are educated in a classroom environment that is safe, drug-free, as well as conducive to learning.
The next goal stated in the NCLB Act focuses on students with limited English speaking skills. According to the NCLB, schools must ensure these students become proficient in English. The fifth and final goal of the NCLB, according to some, maybe the most controversial goal. It is to ensure all students graduate from high school.
States, districts, and schools were held accountable for making demonstrable improvements in practices that moved them toward meeting these goals. In order to make this happen, federal funds were allocated to states to ensure they were better equipped to meet the educational needs of the students. However, attaining these goals was no easy feat for most school districts. Unfortunately, there were consequences for those that did not meet AYP. For instance, schools that did not make adequate yearly progress (AYP) faced being sanctioned.
One sanction imposed on schools/districts that did not meet AYP was the requirement to provide tutoring services to all students. These services, which were free to students and families, had to include supports needed to help students become proficient in reading and math. The purpose was to show gains in the specified areas.
Another sanction imposed by the NCLB was the requirement to create and implement a two-year plan. These schools, which were labeled “schools in need of improvement”, received additional assistance from local educational agencies. These schools also received additional funding earmarked for schools in need of improvement. Students were allowed to go to a school that was making AYP, with transportation at the expense of the home school.
If a school failed to make AYP for five consecutive years, drastic measures had to be taken. One of those measures was closing the school and reopening it as a charter school. Another measure was to replace almost all of the current staff. According to NCLB, this included administrators and teachers. The fourth measure that schools were faced with for not making AYP was turning over school operations to the state or to a private company that had proved their effectiveness in turning around schools that needed help.
Advantages of the No Child Left Behind Act
There were several advantages and positives associated with the NCLB. One positive outcome is that it forced schools to focus on reading and math. Schools began implementing reading across the content areas to improve reading skills. This meant that math teachers had to incorporate reading into their instruction. They also began implementing reading programs such as Read 180.
Another advantage associated with NCLB is the requirement that all teachers be considered “highly qualified”. The NCLB mandated that states provided each student with a teacher that was certified by state standards. According to Kolodziej (2011), teachers are considered to be highly qualified if they possess a bachelor’s degree, a state teaching credential, and have demonstrated knowledge of the content area specified.
The NCLB also has mandates associated with administrators. According to Ahn & Vidgor (2014), leadership and management changes associated with school restructuring included administrations having to demonstrate proficiency. This change led to the acquisition of highly qualified administrators.
The focus given to the underserved is another advantage of NCLB. This includes English language learners, special education students, and students who live in poverty. This also included African American students and students of Latino descent. Students in those subgroups had equal access to additional support such as tutoring and supplemental help.
The NCLB also increased student achievement in several areas. According to Dee & Jacob (2011), the average math performance scores of the 4th-grade students increased due to NCLB. It also led to an increase in 8th-grade math scores. Test scores of students who were considered low achieving also increased.
Disadvantages of the No Child Left Behind Act
Just as there are advantages, there are also disadvantages associated with NCLB. For instance, even though NCLB was federally mandated and additional monies allocated for it, NCLB was still underfunded at the state level. This meant schools had to delete in other areas such as social studies, art, foreign languages, and science. Cuts were also made in the areas of field trips, books, and supplies.
Another disadvantage is the emphasis placed on test scores. Adequate yearly progress was measured by how well students performed on state standardized testing. The student’s success, or lack thereof, determined whether or not schools were at risk of being sanctioned. Because of this, some teachers began to “teach to the tests”. This meant that other skillsets were placed on the backburner.
Opponents of NCLB point out that the policy is biased. According to Dee & Jacob (2010), standardized tests are biased and deeply flawed on many levels. For instance, standardized tests do not take into account the diversity of the students. Nor does it take into account the varying ethnic or cultural backgrounds of the students. Standardized tests are usually geared toward the dominant culture.
Contempory Issues in Education. (2022, Feb 22). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/contempory-issues-in-education-essay
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