Introduced by President Bush in 2002, NCLB stresses accountability in public education, and instituted a slew of requirements around school testing and performance. The Act is up for re-authorization.
But critics have pointed to how NCLB mandatory testing, and penalties for not meeting certain bars, has schools more focused on preparing for these exams than on teaching children to think about what they are learning. The NCLB fails to look at the gains a student has made, and is instead focused on statistics.
One example is the required testing of students who have been in the United States for at least a year. This includes students who are limited English proficient. While the progress of English Language Learners should be regularly gauged, it doesn’t take an expert to guess that it takes more than one year to achieve English proficiency, especially for high school aged students.
A new NCLB should change the one-year requirement for English Language Learners.
It should also include “value-added” measures for teachers, as recommended by a bipartisan commission that has studied NCLB, and resources for drawing quality teachers. NYC Schools Chancellor Joel Klein has emphasized the critical difference that NCLB-designated funding would make in providing incentives to attract and keep quality teachers in the schools that need them the most.
The NCLB commission recognized that the U.S. educational system was not only leaving students unprepared for a globalized, high tech economy but not even helping them achieve proficiency in reading and math. While a good step toward remedying this deplorable status, NCLB needs tinkering that will further accountability without crucifying schools.
