No Child Left Behind

            The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) was signed on January 8^th, 2002. It was signed by President George W. Bush, and was one of the first things his administration worked on when taking office. NLCB was implemented to improve reading and math test scores in school across the country.

            NCLB has brought more standardized state testing to public school, and only creates a competition for education funding, instead of trying to redistribute the money as equally as possible.

            Supporters of NCLB will say to someone that the tests and the higher expectation of students are improving. However, many teacher unions and students disagree.

            “In theory, NCLB is trying to provide schools with the support they need, but in practice it is not happening. Our schools need tailored solutions and committed supporters,” said Cindy Rivera, a student at Georgetown University.

            Deborah White, of About.com, says that NCLB has pressured teachers to teach how to do well on a test, rather than teaching with the goal of learning. It has forced teachers to change their curriculums to meet the material on these tests.

            Since standards and tests are written by states, each state can set oddly low standards. They do this only because if the students don’t meet their standards they will receive less funding from the federal government.

            These standards are not only for students as they are for teachers as well. NCLB has made higher standards for teachers. Teachers must pass a series of proficiency tests. In turn, this has created a shortage of teachers.

            NCLB is a major cause to the lack of knowledge students obtain in public schools. Public high schools are supposed to prepare students for college, but NCLB limits what can be taught and makes no room for any preparation for the “real world” after high school.