No Child Left Behind

[Falco&Victory]

The No Child Left Behind Act, authorized in 2001 was passed in order to help ensure that all students are completing grade-based standards in Math and Reading. The act sends more funding to schools and sets a nice teaching curriculum of a district's or states choosing. It has been shown that grades have been on the rise since it was introduced. Children and teens are performing better academically, schools are receiving more funding to help further support the act, and less students are failing. The standards have been raised and now almost everyone is passing. All looks good on paper, doesn't it?

There are several flaws in the plan that are very hard to detect using statistics, and therefore few people are against the NCLB act. However, what the government needs to realize is that all they're doing is making it easier for students to pass, not making them learn more. The narrow focus on math and reading is causing students to perform worse in geography and in many cases writing as well. The act puts no focus on meeting physical requirements either. Many fine details need to be clarified.

The standardized tests and curriculums appearing in our schools are giving teachers a very narrow subject to teach. This mean in order to pass a test a student doesn't need to learn as much as they use to. Now, with so many higher grades coming as a result it is almost impossible to separate the truly intelligent to those who simply study for a long period of time. Now schools are teaching less, students are learning less, and the standards, in reality the standards have been lowered. I scored an IQ high enough to skip 10th grade, and I could even skip Algebra 2 and move straight to pre-calculus if I wanted to. However the IQ test was not standardized by the government and therefore I am not given the option of going into an excel program(not that I would with all my friends staying behind, but still it's nice to have options). The bad students may be catching up, but many excelling students are slowing down. Did you know half the English and social studies classes in my Jr High were excelled programs, but are teaching the same materials as the normal classes did pre-NCLB?

The government is having trouble with their funding, which could be going to a better cause(such as our military, or providing new materials to schools). Now Americans are being charged more money in their taxes, as if higher gas prices weren't enough. For now are economy has too much on its hand to be letting the smart students of America pick up the slack of those having trouble at the expense of billions tax-payer dollars.

You may want disagree with me on many points, so if you want a source to go off of use this link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Child_Left_Behind

 

[The Mad Hatter]

No child left behind is a joke which became an act in order to tell stupid kids they can still be astronauts. And whats really sad is that the state tests are so simple that when the students are tested nationally they fail miserably. America will be a better place when the adopt the same concept of Japan. If you dont do well in high school then its off to learn a trade.

 

[Digital Watches]

Don't forget the interesting statistic-altering incentives that cause teachers to cheat for their students on tests to ensure job security, as well as the number of students who did poorly on standardized tests that began to mysteriously start dropping out of schools that were in danger of going under due to NCLB regulations in higher numbers. That and all the teachers being held "responsible" when their curriculum wasn't in line with standardized testing requirements. The whole thing is ridiculous.

 

[Falco&Victory]

I don't believe in paying teachers based on how many students show up or what they score on tests. If you get a class full of impossible students I don't think the school district fully comprehends how frustrating it can be. Teachers are completely underpaid for their work.

I think the act should go towards buying school materials and paying teachers more money, not making the teaching standards lower. The act accomplishes everything opposite of what it tries to do, and yet is still n continuation.

 

[TheBuzzSaw]

Teachers are completely underpaid for their work.

This statement alone brings up a very delicate issue. I agree with this statement, but there are dangerous implications in trying to "fix" it. One major benefit of paying teachers so little is that it essentially insures that only people who truly love to teach will enter the profession. This prevents jerks from entering the field simply to make a large sum of money. This may sound silly, but the teacher-student relationship is very important at the sub-college level. Teachers serve as extra parents to many students. I've watched many students cry at the end of school years (mostly girls) while having to say goodbye to their favorite teacher.

Now, with that said, I am still definitely in favor raising their pay. Raising their pay would grant benefits that far outweigh any negatives. I was just pointing out one small positive aspect to it all. Of course people who love to teach would still become teachers! There just might be a few out there who hate kids but have a teaching degree and want to make some good money.

 

[Digital Watches]

Buzz - Your point about the benefit of keeping teachers' pay low has a major flaw: Teachers who dislike children STILL enter the teaching profession, even with lowered pay. There's no real reason not to raise pay for teachers. People just don't like paying more taxes. Since politicians love lowering taxes, and education is a great place to take the money from (What are the non-voting minors going to do about it? Teachers are also a negligible minority as well.) As long as the majority people are the selfish foresightless idiots that they have been proven to be time and time again, taxes will continue to lower, education will continue to suffer the most revenue loss, and teachers will continue to be paid less.

Really, instead of a "raising of standards" like the no child left behind act, there should be a "Raise taxes by maybe $20 per person per year (A financial loss that I'm sure will CRIPPLE those who would oppose it, but I'm willing to take that risk) and better the school system." act.

 

[TheBuzzSaw]

Buzz - Your point about the benefit of keeping teachers' pay low has a major flaw: Teachers who dislike children STILL enter the teaching profession, even with lowered pay.

That's true. I am not suggesting that we should keep their pay low. I was just pointing out one personal observation. Granted, I grew up in southeastern Washington, so it's not like I have a very wide knowledge of the varieties of teachers in the world, anyway. XD