Essay - No Child Left Behind - Problems Need to be Resolved...

No Child Left Behind - Problems Need to be Resolved

Back in 2002, when it was signed into law, No ***** Left Behind (NCLB) ***** called the most significant educational legislation in many years. Indeed, ***** brought together, with much fanfare, ***** leaders and key people in both political parties, seemingly united in a reachable goal to promote success in learning for all students. But un*****tunately (NCLB) has not been the panacea that it was touted to be in 2002. In fact, there are serious problems in many aspects of the legislation ***** how ***** effects *****, teachers, and communities. This paper takes the position that NCLB has had an overall negative effect on ***** educational movement in America, ***** there is need for a change ***** NCLB strategies, and to make those points several reviews ***** reliable publications will ***** reviewed and analyzed.

Meanwhile, the American Federation of Teachers asserts that "flaws in the law are undercutt*****g its original promise" (www.aft.org),and federal guidance for states "has been unclear, untimely and unhelpful." Moreover, the AFT statement on ********** Web site indicates serious concerns about the "pervasive problem" of under funding; the cornerstone for NCLB is Title 1, and the authorization for ***** 1 in 2006 was scheduled to be $22.75 billion (accord*****g ***** the *****). But President George W. Bush has only put $13.3 billion in his budget request. "This continues a p*****ttern of underfunding for *****," AFT explains, adding ***** the $9 billion left out ***** Bush's request is "crucial" to more than 1,700 secondary schools.

Those 1,700 schools - along with 7,000 elementary schools - are "struggling the ***** to meet high standards" by lowering class size, hiring reading and math special*****ts, and improving technology equipment ***** teachers and students. As to one of the key components of the NCLB legislation, the "adequate yearly progress" (AYP), ***** *****' organization says it is "a highly inaccurate and arbitrary yardstick for measuring progress." The testing ***** students with d*****abilities ***** English language learners - using AYP guidelines - "is neither valid nor *****," ***** contends. Also, the "highly qualified" requirements for teachers "...***** unworkable for some ***** and do not apply ***** all individuals..."

In addition, according to a study ***** the Civil Rights Project at Harvard University, ***** ***** accountability rules ***** "adequ*****e yearly progress" - fall "especially hard on urban ***** while asking for much less progress from affluent suburban systems." And more than that, the Harvard ***** - published in ***** AFT publication American Teacher - claims that "the reality ***** too many public educators is confusion and frustration..."

A*****her group, ***** Center on Education Policy (CEP) - an independent, nonprofit educational advocacy *****d research ***** - has been closely monitoring NCLB for the past four *****, and their report was published in October, 2006. The CEP lists ten "big effects" of NCLB; the first concern ("effect") that ***** teachers (***** ***** CEP) have raised is the ***** that in order to meet NCLB standards, teachers are