The Peculiar Politics of No Child Left Behind

Ram Bhagat Ingrid Grant William Noel Damon RichardsonSherry Wharton -Carey

EDLP 704 Article Analysis

February 15, 2012

“When it comes to the education of our children…failure is not an option.”

President George W. Bush

The Four Goals of No Child Left Behind

1• Closing the Achievement Gap

2• Improving Teacher Quality

3• 100% Proficiency for all students in reading and

math by 2014

4• Improving Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)

Theory Behind NCLB

Outcome Based

Standard Based

Educational Reform

Summary of Article

• Support and opposition narrowing• Concluded the implementation of the law’s consequences, rather

than knowledge, may be fueling the opposition to NCLB.

Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup

• Support and opposition narrowing• Data showed people who knew about NCLB increased from 31% to

61% • As people learn about NCLB the want to learn more• Republicans favor more than Democrats• Rural residents favor more than Urban/Suburban

Educational Testing Services

National Polling Data2001-2005

Summary of Article

Northern States

Pioneers in creating common schools in the late 19th century

Massachusetts established state

board in 1837, schools already

operating for 200 years

Belief in local control bottom up origin of

school system

Southern States

Publically financed common schools

during Reconstruction

Most educational matters comes from

the state level

NCLB Federal

Establishes overall policy and framework goals and procedures

Intrusive for what has been considered state

terrain

NCLB State

Allowed latitude in implementation

State Politics

ConclusionState and Local Opposing

Political Culture

• Geography Matters• Blue States are more resistant• Red states more supportive based on the 2000 & 2004 Presidential Race

Student Achievement

• States at-risk of experiencing sanctions not complaining• High performing states have little to lose• Offers states powerful interventions to use for failing schools

Demographics Characteristics

• States with large African American populations support• States with large Hispanic populations do not support

Resources

• States receiving less than 8.3% of federal funds likely to reject• Southern states are more dependent on the resources more students receiving Title I

service

Rigor of Research

.

\

Demographic Breakdowns of Public Opinion on NCLB

Democrat

Independent

Republican

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

By Political Affiliation Favorable Unfavorable

White

Black

Hispanic

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

By Race Favorable Unfavorable

Urban

Suburban

Rural

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

By Geography of ResidenceFavorable Unfavorable

< $25K

$25K - $50K

$50K - $75K

> $75K

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

By Income Range Favorable Unfavorable

2003 2004 20050

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

69

56

45

1824 28

1320

27

Effects of Increasing Knowledge of NCLB Over Time

Don't Know Enough Positive Negative

Perc

ent R

espo

ndin

g

NCLB Policy

Elementary and Secondary Education Act

Allocated Money to low-income school to acquire personnel and

materials

Redistributive Policy

No Child Left Behind

Incentive Driven by Test Scores

Distributive, Regulatory, and Redistributive Policy

Strategies Promoting Support

.

Resources are viewed as incentives

More money produces better education

High poverty school need more money. Additional resources allocated to low income schools

NCLB Goal #1: Make schools more equitable

NCLB Goal #2: Improve the education of children of poor families

Benefits of Policy

Accountability

Closing Achievement Gap

Highly Qualified Teachers

Raise Minority Test Scores

AYP/Options

Lower Student

Standards

• Lack of funding• Change in curriculum

Decrease in Teacher Quality

• Good teachers leaving ‘Failing’ schools• Lesser qualified teachers replace them

Students left Behind

• Small ‘N’ number• Expelled students• ELL students

Consequences/Disadvantages

Applicable to Role as a Leader

The notion of accountability is well supported, but educators become afraid of "high-stakes" testing.

The fear of failure leads to : * breech of integrity *loss of effective teachers

Sanctions are punitive in nature.

Great teachers feel that their creativity is stifled

Equity doesn’t mean fair.

NOTION OF DOING MORE WITH LESS!!!

Reference