No Child Left Behind

Landmark Federal Legislation

December 2005 Update:

As schools and states continue to struggle with No Child Left Behind, the current U.S. Secretary of Education, Margaret Spellings, is beginning to recognize the need for some flexibility. Two specific sub-groups that are seeing some relief are ESL (English as a Second Language) and special education. However, some educators and policy makers fear that flexibility may weaken the structure of NCLB and its primary goal: to have all children meet proficiency levels in math, reading, and science by 2014. The education debate will continue to grow as the 2007 NCLB reauthorization date approaches.

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In January 2002, President George W. Bush signed a bipartisan education bill entitled No Child Left Behind (NCLB). With close to 900 pages, this bill not only reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965, but also strengthened the federal presence in every state Department of Education and every classroom in America.

Traditionally, each state has been responsible for the education of its citizens, generally through decisions made at the local level. In recent years, state and federal unfunded education mandates have made financial and academic demands on school districts that have tied the hands of local school boards. NCLB greatly extends the power of the federal Department of Education (DOE) by creating an education framework that must be implemented by state DOEs so that all American children are proficient in math and reading by 2014. Although the federal budget provides only approximately 7% of education funds used at the local level, NCLB requirements supersede state and local education programs.

As stated in the bill, NCLB has four important goals:

• Increase accountability for student performance

Each state must have standards in math, reading, and science, annual testing for all students in grades 3-8, and adequate yearly progress (AYP) objectives for all student subgroups. Successful schools will be rewarded; continually failing schools will eventually be restructured.

• More choices for parents and students

Students attending schools identified for improvement, corrective action, or restructuring must be offered a transfer to a better public school and/or supplemental academic services.

• Greater flexibility for states, school districts, and schools

This pertains mostly to streamlining federal funding, including grants.

• Putting reading first

More money will be available for scientifically based reading instruction programs (phonics) so that all children will read by third grade. Competitive grants are available through the Reading First Initiative and Early Reading First program.

Other NCLB aspects include:

Allowing students in persistently dangerous schools to transfer
Requiring school districts to hire only “highly qualified” teachers
Requiring student samples in each state to take the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in reading and math every other year
Promoting English proficiency within 3 years
Encouraging public charter schools
Supporting character education
Supporting drug and violence prevention
Exempting home schools from NCLB regulations
Prohibiting national teacher testing and certification

The full NCLB legislation with details and summary can be found at the U.S. Department of Education web site.

Additional government information can be found at the No Child Left Behind government web site.

CEO strongly recommends visiting the EdWatch for more information and opinion on NCLB.

CEO newsletter articles in Education Advocate.

CEO Commentary

No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is the largest, most expensive education mandate ever enforced by the federal Department of Education. It brings the One-Size-Fits-All concept of education to a new high level.

CEO strongly supports local control of public education. Only at the local level can parents be heard and the various needs of individual students be met.

CEO opposes the federal takeover of America’s education by seizing control of major decisions that should be made at the state level. The federal DOE must approve state standards, state assessments, state definitions of specific NCLB terminology (i.e. “adequate yearly progress”), and many other education policies and regulations. State plans that fail to receive this approval must be reworked and resubmitted.

To solidify control of state DOEs, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is mandated to be given to students in every state in alternate years. NAEP test results will verify that states are in full compliance with NCLB. This interweaving of state standards and assessments with mandatory administration of the NAEP establishes a national curriculum with a full system of rewards and punishments meted out to local schools.

All this being said, CEO concedes that some aspects of NCLB could improve public education, such as:

Requiring school districts and schools of education to look carefully at teacher quality
Requiring the use of phonics and other research proven programs
Exempting home school students from NCLB

Unfortunately, the scales are definitely tipped to the negative aspects of NCLB, with not enough positive changes to come close to balancing the scale.

Additional comments and analysis have filled the media as NCLB regulations reach the state and local levels. A recent Internet search found almost 60,000 hits for “No Child Left Behind.”

The following sites provide interesting reading. The views of these resources are not necessarily those of the Commonwealth Education Organization.

PA Department of Education (Almost every state has its own web site for NCLB.)

Education Week - search for "NCLB"

Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) – search for "NCLB"

American Federation of Teachers (AFT) - Search for "NCLB"