“No Child Left Behind”Jeff Christian Briana Johnson Brittany Shields

"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 W. Bush (2002)

Introduction to No Child Left Behind Act of

2001Increased accountability placed on schools and teachers as well as on states

Setting Standards Standardized Testing in Mathematics and Reading Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) – Meeting the

Minimum Detailed Report Card/ Progress reports Title I funding “Highly Qualified Teachers” School Choice Scientifically Based Research

Example of a Detailed Progress Report

Example of a Summary Report Card (including AYP Criteria)

History of Education Law1965 – Elementary and Secondary

Stemmed from 1964 Civil Rights Act

1980 – National Commission of Excellence in Education Emphasized tougher standards, longer days, & change in

teachers

1994 – Goals 2000: Education America Act Expectation levels increased & student achievement levels

severed as indicators

January 8th 2002 – President George W. Bush signed the “No Child Left Behind” Act (Public Law 101-110)

Purpose of NCLBTo create a standardize way of teaching for all school

districts, teachers and students guaranteeing fair, equal, and significant opportunities to achieve the highest level of academic learning

AYP holds each school accountable by: Standardized testing Flexibility in funding Parent Involvement Highly qualified teachers

Adequate Yearly Process (AYP) – an assessment of how each every school is performing academically according to the results of the standardized tests

How NCLB is calculated

Why the Law Is Needed

To make sure that each student is getting a fair and equal opportunity.

Ex. How do you decide on student A vs. student B as an college admissions officer if that do not take the same test?

Defining the Issue’sStudents getting pushed through schools

Narrow focus on literacy, reading, and arithmetic

Eliminates the fun

Teachers lose freedom

Effects students later on in college/workforce

Groups that are Affected

Low income areas (mainly minorities) Test are tailored towards high income white areas

What Sectors of Government are responsible for the Improvement of

Educational Outcomes

Federal Government Extended Power by taking reserved power from

the state to organize education No Child Left Behind Waivers (February 2012)

State Government – State School Boards Conditions of the Waivers

Local Government - School Districts Pushing educational growth Hiring and Firing Monitoring both revenues and expenditures

Relation to Class

Ethics “Ethical Obligations and the Public Service” (Stillman p. 474-475)

Obligation to Law Obligation to Self Obligation to the Public Interest or General Welfare

Administrative Discretion AYP forces schools to push kids through school in order to stay

afloat. AYP – 2 years of failing

Best Practices

Test-based accountability- Performance Achievements 9-year-olds posted the best scores in reading (since 1971) and math (since

1973) in the history of the report. 13-year-olds earned the highest math scores the test ever recorded.

States & Government are recognizing the need to improve our educational system.

Funding Increases Federal education funding (29%) K-12 funding (33%) Total NCLB funding (40%), Title 1 (45%) Special Education (68.5%) Reading (quadrupled- 300%) ($286 million in 2001 - $1.2 billion in 2007)

Implementation Problems

Realistic Goals Is universal proficiency by 2014 a realistic goal?

Equality Is it fair for all districts, teachers, and students to

be held accountable for the same goal?

State Standards Each state has a different set of standards

The Aftermath

Teachers Many teachers are thankful for their jobs but are being deprived of

creativity & passion within their lesson plans and classroom activities.

Students Students are being deprived of a well rounded educational experience

Arts, music, extracurricular activities, the ability to be creative & collaborate

The System Districts as well as teachers are experiencing a great amount of stress

to get students to perform well on standardized tests. As a result, students who are not ready for a higher level of

education are being passed through to improve the overall district numbers.

Should we Scrap or keep the NCLB Act?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvwjNBZ1z8E&list=PLC7C04A200690F7C4&index=1

Questions If you were to pick, would you: Keep, Scrap, or

Revise the “No Child Left Behind” Act

Do you have friends or family that are a teacher or student have discussed the issues of NCLB?

What sector of government do you think should have more responsibility in the roll of education?