What exactly is the *no child left behind* thing?

Question

I heard my teacher talking to another teacher about it, I didn't start thinking about it till just now

Answer 1

President Bush made a commitment to ensure that all children receive a high quality education so that no child is left behind. And just one year after the President first took office, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) passed overwhelmingly with support from Republicans and Democrats in Congress. NCLB has led to higher standards and greater accountability throughout the Nation's school systems. Here are some key facts and terms that you should know about how this historic law helps your child:

The Facts About No Child Left Behind
Funding: No Child Left Behind gives school districts more money. In fact, President Bush and Congress are spending more money than ever before on the education of America's children.
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Flexibility: No Child Left Behind gives states and school districts more control and more flexibility to use resources where they are needed most. Principals and administrators will spend less time filling out forms and more time helping your child learn.
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Accountability: No Child Left Behind holds schools and school districts accountable for results. Schools are responsible for making sure your child is learning.
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School District Report Cards: No Child Left Behind gives parents report cards so they can see which schools in their district are succeeding and why. With this information, No Child Left Behind gives parents, community leaders, teachers, principals, and elected leaders the information they need to improve schools.
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Public School Choice: No Child Left Behind may let you transfer your child to another public school if the state says that your child's school is "in need of improvement." Your school district may pay for transportation for your child. Contact your child's school district to find out if your child has this opportunity.
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Extra Help with Learning: No Child Left Behind may also provide your child with free tutoring and extra help with schoolwork if the state says your child's school has been "in need of improvement" for at least 2 years. This extra help is often referred to as Supplemental Educational Services. Contact your child's school district to find out if your child qualifies.
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Parental Involvement: No Child Left Behind requires schools to develop ways to get parents more involved in their child's education and in improving the school. Contact your child's school to find out how you can get involved.
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Measuring Knowledge: No Child Left Behind requires states to test your child in reading and math every year in grades 3-8. Your child will also be tested at least once in high school. The tests will help you, your child, and your child's teachers know how well your child is learning and when he or she needs extra help.
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Scientifically Based Research: No Child Left Behind focuses on teaching methods that have been proven by research to work. There will be no more experimenting on children with educational fads.
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Reading First: No Child Left Behind provides more than one billion dollars a year to help children learn to read. Reading First is the part of No Child Left Behind that is dedicated to ensuring all children learn to read on grade level by the third grade. Reading First provides money to states and many school districts to support high quality reading programs based on the best scientific research. Contact your child's school district to find out if its reading program is based on research.
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Teacher Quality: No Child Left Behind provides funding to help teachers learn to be better teachers.

Answer 2

It is a program that the government is trying to impliment in order to improve the general education of school children. The only problem is, IT DOESN'T WORK! I have been teaching for over ten years now, and it is amazing how "off" the ideas in this program are. Talk to just about any real teacher who is on the ground in any school system and they will agree. States that have tried to start similar programs are suffering from it--just look at the differences on the standardized tests. The main push for the program is that there won't be any kids "left behind" in their school work or abilities. The simple fact of the matter is that teachers are being made to teach on the level of the slowest child in the class, and then that is the standard everyone else works on. The faster learners (which is everyone except the slowest kid) become easily bored and begin to act out because they have nothing better to do. This is just the tip of the iceburg.

Answer 3

As a special education teacher No Child Left Behind is a dirty four letter word. In a nutshell it is government legislation that is suppose to improve the low performers in schools. It makes teachers more accountable for how well their students perform on state standardized test. When they mean no child they mean it too. There are very few exceptions to the rule and student that have no hope of passing standardized test because of acts of God rather than poor teaching are made to struggle most of the time until tears on these test. Teachers can also get fired for poor performance. This pits teacher against teacher because they compete with each other. It seems to have put students with disabilities at a great disadvantage because now they are placed in regular curriculum classes and they are expected to keep up with material that they most likely will never understand or use. This also takes them away from classes were they used to learn personal and job skills which made them valuable workers in the community. They were taught to live on there own and be self-reliant now with out those skills it is my fear that they will be another person that is a burden to the government.
This government legislation puts a lot of unneeded stress on teacher to put stress on their students to perform well on these test. Just ask any elementary student they are usually on edge around these test. It has good intentions I feel at the heart but is not really looking at the hard and sad reality of life.

Answer 4

Basically it means that no matter what no child will be left behind. There will be no child that can't read, there will be no child that can't do math, and etc. The school systems are to do everything it takes to make sure that every child is a success. There is supposed to be no more teachers just "pushing" kids through school just to get them on the way. If it means extra help for one student or a tutor then that is what the school system is supposed to do.

Answer 5

I am a teacher. Listen very carefully.

The "No Child Left Behind" Act of 2001 was instituted, in a nutshell, because too many students were failing to graduate from high school. This started to become a problem in the late 90s. This act is not well-liked by many people, especially educators. While instituted with good intentions, its effects have not been as good.

This act makes it harder for teachers to fail students and puts pressure on them. Because of this act, it in a nutshell makes it look very bad for teachers to fail very many students, and makes the teachers actively look for some way to pass students that probably don't deserve it. This in essence wastes the time of the more bright students. Ask your local school principal for more info. or check your state's department of education homepage. You can read about it there.

Answer 6

The No Child Left Behind Act is that no child under the age of 21 can be denined a school education. No matter what.

Answer 7

Increase Accountability for Student Performance: States, districts and schools that improve achievement will be rewarded. Failure will be sanctioned. Parents will know how well their child is learning, and that schools are held accountable for their effectiveness with annual state reading and math assessments in grades 3-8.
Focus on What Works: Federal dollars will be spent on effective, research based programs and practices. Funds will be targeted to improve schools and enhance teacher quality.
Reduce Bureaucracy and Increase Flexibility: Additional flexibility will be provided to states and school districts, and flexible funding will be increased at the local level.
Empower Parents: Parents will have more information about the quality of their childs school. Students in persistently low-performing schools will be given choice.

Answer 8

There still are children left behind. It's a gimmick started by the Secretary of Education and the President to save face after the Iraq war claimed too many lives. Ask any of our poor in the South they will tell you about the education their children are or are not receiving.

Answer 9

No child left behind is a new thing that no matter how bad a student does in school, they will be moved to the next grade and not "held back"

Answer 10

All children have the same chance at education. Just because a childs parents can't afford to pay for educational items does not mean the child cannot have it. The cost can be covered by other means.

Answer 11

within this law is a provision enabling any branch of the armed forces to request contact information from any high school about Any student eligible by age for induction. If anyone representing the high school refuses to give a recruiter the contact information, he can contact the federal government and federal money can be WITHHELD from that school. Essentially, schools are blackmailed in this way to provide the information or risk their funding. When you consider there are two wars going on and recruiters are falling short of the "needed numbers", this provision
is a form of "PSEUDO-DRAFT."