No Child Left Behind does not meet goal, needs to be reconsidered

By Alex White
Staff Writer

The No Child Left Behind Act is the reason for yearly standardized tests, and continues to be a hotly debated issue. For nearly a decade, No Child Left Behind has failed to accomplish its goals and must be replaced.

Since its implementation in 2001, the No Child Left Behind Act has attempted to improve education nationwide. The idea is that through scientific methods of standardized testing, teachers would adjust curriculum to raise test scores.

NCLB makes education standards based, with the intent of unifying educators and homogenizing learning nationwide. NCLB also stresses that all students pass tests, regardless of their special needs or circumstances.

The NCLB Act has so far been ineffective at educating students, despite cases of higher test scores.
Opponents of NCLB point out that teachers must “teach to the test,” leading educators to focus on test taking, instead of comprehension and analytical skills.

This disconnect can be quite significant. Scores from New York state show that a majority of students correctly answered a problem about the Pythagorean theorem. However, more than two-thirds of students missed it when rephrased as a word problem.

This evidence shows that students aren’t obtaining useful knowledge. The improved scores seen from No Child Left Behind do not corollate to real-world critical thinking and analytical skills.

NCLB has also been underfunded. Problems arise for states because the act mandates costly initiatives, such as providing tutoring and aides, to raise scores.

NCLB also mandates teacher evaluations based on test scores. However, education is more than a set of student test scores. The stress placed on teachers resulted in a Los Angeles Unified teacher committing suicide after his rating dropped.

Teacher skill is determined by more than just scores. Class sizes and availability of school supplies play a major role in student scores. NCLB totally overlooks these potential variables. A teacher should not be punished because of insufficient resources.

NCLB was implemented with good intentions, but it hasn’t been effective. It should be repealed before the 2014 deadline.

The United States should look at other nations in order to craft a better national education policy.

Nations like Spain have a rigorous, yet effective, education system by offering a wide variety of unique courses past the primary level, based on individual need. Additions like this should be part of national education policy.

Also, by increasing funding and expanding special education, students could pursue programs that fit their individual needs. Individualized schooling would ensure that education is effective for all students, and that no child will be left behind.