No Child Left Behind Act: Is it working?

Question

Two conflicting views in USAToday:

http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2007/09/our-view-on-edu.html#uslPageReturn
EXCERPT FROM ARTICLE:
The 5-year-old No Child Left Behind law is up for renewal this month, and its fate is uncertain despite notable success.

President Bush's signature domestic achievement has brought accountability to school districts that for decades shamefully buried their failures in grossly understated dropout rates and vastly overstated academic achievement. Scores of inner-city schools have improved dramatically.

http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2007/09/opposing-view-1.html#more
EXCERPT FROM ARTICLE:
NCLB has failed. It has failed our schools, it has failed our teachers and it has failed our children.

The Bush administration claims victories, but upon closer scrutiny it becomes clear that the White House is simply dressing up ugly data with fancy political spin. Far from leaving no child behind, President Bush seems to have left reality behind.

The NCLB Act is up for renewal. Should it be renewed or should it be 'scrapped'?

Answer 1

Look, if President Bush legitimately and singlehandedly solved all the world's problems tomorrow, the headlines would be; "If Bush Solved All the World's Problems, Why are there still Traffic Accidents?" The guy doesn't have enough money to buy an ad that says he did something positive. No Child Left Behind is a victim of various teacher's unions who are one and all, liberal in their composition. Its concept is solid and it has gotten positive results. Teachers simply don't want to be held accountable. PS: Senator Ted Kennedy (D) was the Senate sponsor of that bill. Emphasis on the "D."

Answer 2

Let me share my views on education:

My dad attended the proverbial "one room schoolhouse" in rural Wisconsin. When his family moved to Chicago, he did have to go back a grade or attend some remedial classes. On the contrary, the was tested, and based on those results, he was admitted into the prestigious Lane Tech. Was my dad the "brain" of the class? No, he was just an average kid, but at that (literally) one room schoolhouse, every student was compelled to learn the material. There weren't any lame excuses. Kids couldn't cop out with some physicians note about having ADD.

Was this an isolated instance? Let's look at my mother's experiences. My mom was taught by Benedictine nuns. Every single girl in her class was accepted into a fine university...... every single one. Was this some rare class of exceptionally brainy girls? Not at all. A lot of them had to struggle, but the nuns would not let you get by with a "C" if you could do better. Every single day, they would push you to do better, and they'd make their best effort to help that happen. If a student started slacking off, the nuns used a variety of methods to get him or her back on track. One of the most tried and true was... shame! The nuns really knew how to make students feel guilty about not performing well. They would remind the students that they were devoting their lives to teaching you. Every night, these dedicated nuns would return to the convent to grade papers, and prepare a lesson plan for the next day. Getting bad grades was like telling the nuns that you didn't care that they were sacrificing their lives for your benefit.

Think you can't calculate the hypotenuse of the triangle or explain the major points in The Federalist Papers? Sister Clarissa wasn't going to let you say "no".

Every night you did your homework, and every day the nuns would grade you. If you started to get behind, your parents were called in. It seems like parents nowadays turn a blind eye until the situation has gotten out of hand.

The No Child Left Behind Act could use a little tweaking, but it should be left nearly intact. Any wiggle room is exactly what the teachers unions want. They just want excuses.

If my parents, and all their peers, could be given an outstanding education with little funds, why can't we do it nowadays? We have to put both parents and teachers on alert: teaching is not some mystic science!!! It just takes dedication and persistence.

When education fails, it's because we've allowed for a bunch of frivolous excuses. The No Child Left Behind Act is like Sister Clarissa.... and she's not going to be conned.

Answer 3

the teachers unions have been massing a huge campaign against NCLB since it was first drafted. They REFUSE to allow teachers to be looked at with regards to their performance. They dont want performance based pay, wont allow inept teachers to be let go, wont allow officials who are inept to be relieved. The amount of money they have thrown at discrediting an attempt to make teachers accountable for their teachings is astounding. It may need to be revised but there has to be accountability in teaching and under the NEA rules their will never be.

Answer 4

No baby Left at the back of did no longer contain any investment to pay for the quite severe expenditures mandatory to enact it. in addition to, NCLB does not particularly have something to do with centers to those with disabilities. thought (those with Disabilities training Act) is the single you opt for. This regulation demands an IEP to furnish a depiction of the centers supplied to the baby and demands that or no longer that is contained in the "least restrictive atmosphere" wherein the baby learns. maximum severely, it states that districts ought to pay for terribly own college in the event that they can't or do no longer furnish "unfastened suitable public training" to your baby.

Answer 5

No child's behind is left. Down with Dictator Dumbya!!

Answer 6

Before the act, why couldn't Bush himself be left behind?

Answer 7

it's good at teaching children how to take advancement tests, and it's been my experience that's exactly what is being taught...the test...I'd like more emphasis placed on learning...scrap it

Answer 8

SCRAPPED!