What are the problems the No Child Left Behind Act has presented?
102895
The biggest problem is that it makes teachers focus on teaching to a test rather than just teaching. Knowing how to take the test is more important, under this system, than knowing what is on it. Further, the act has been severely underfunded. The act requires more qualified teachers (aka ones with more education), but more education means higher pay, which is something many school districts can't do.\n\nI think more importantly than any of those problems, there's the issue of how to measure improvement. Under the act each class is compared to the previous class, meaning this year's 2nd grade is compared to last year's 2nd grade. Now, obviously comparing different groups of kids is fundamentally unfair. People don't like to admit it, but some people have different base levels of intelligence. Certainly everyone who is not developmentally challenged should be able to pass high school reasonably, but to fault a school and its teachers simply because one class is, on average, not quite as smart is the most asinine thing I can think of. Thankfully the DOE is starting a pilot program of comparing student scores across their school careers (comparing last year's 2nd grade scores to this year's 3rd grade scores). That is obviously the better way to do it, but making the switch is going to cost money, something the act has failed to provide.
669642
As a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and the Subcommittee on Children and Families, I was one of the key negotiators of The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA), the comprehensive overhaul of our nation’s elementary and secondary education policy that made New York schools more accountable to New York’s families. And today I am holding the Administration accountable for not providing the resources that it promised to allow the landmark law to succeed. \n\n\n\nI will continue to work tirelessly to support early childhood education, improve teacher training, lower class size, eliminate environmental hazards in schools, make college affordable and accessible, reward innovations in education, and protect the programs that work for all of New York’s children. Read on to learn more.\n\n\n\nEarly Childhood Education\n For almost 40 years, Head Start has helped prepare children to succeed in school by empowering their parents and providing comprehensive services that address all the barriers children in poverty face. Today, almost 50,000 of New York’s lowest-income families benefit from the educational, health, mental health, dental, nutritional, and parent involvement services provided by Head Start. more»\n\n\n\nElementary and Secondary Education\n When the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA) was enacted, I viewed it as a historic promise between the federal government and educators – schools would be held to higher standards than ever before and the government would make a record investment in those schools to ensure that they would be able to meet the new expectations confronting them. Today, that promise has been broken. President Bush’s budget for 2006 provides $12 billion less than was promised by the No Child Left Behind Act, including $947.5 million less for New York. more»\n\n\n\nSpecial Education\n I co-sponsored the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Improvement Act, which was signed into law on December 3, 2004. This bill will strengthen the IDEA by improving access to professional development for all teachers, expanding monitoring and enforcement mechanisms, resolving disputes equitably, improving students’ transitions from high school to adulthood, and involving parents more thoroughly in the education of their children. more»\n\n\n\nHigher Education\n Each additional year of post-secondary education increases a person’s income by 5 to 15%. Over a lifetime, a person with a college degree will earn close to $1 million more than those who only have a high school diploma. more»\n\n\n\nNational and Community Service\n I have been a consistent supporter of Americorps.  In the 107th Congress, I introduced legislation to increase opportunities to serve in AmeriCorps for individuals aging out of foster care. I co-sponsored legislation to support schools that provide service learning opportunities to elementary and secondary students. And Ifought for an emergency appropriation of funds when AmeriCorps was in danger of being cut by close to 70 percent. I will continue to advocate for strengthening AmeriCorps and for continuing the federal investment in this important program.
388467
I agree that the 'No Child Left Behind' act is ruining American education. I, personally, think it's a bad rule and that because of it the smarter kids are bored. I'm in school right now and I'm one of the smartest ones and this rule is making school a drag for me because we have to keep learning it all over, even if only one person doesn't know it. This act is making the smart kids, who will one day contribute the most to society, want to or drop out of school.
273151
that program is full of shit...they expect too much out of some of the kids just so they can follow the no child left behind motto..... no matter where the money goes...its not good for all of the kids.
485078
No Child Left Behind is FULL OF IT!!!\n\nIt is unfair to students (how fair would it be to go to the hospital and inform the staff there that every patient, including those in the ICU, will have to run the New York City Marthon in less than 6 months or the hospital will be closed down and the staff won't be able to find jobs elsewhere?), makes teachers and schools the scapegoat for variables out of their control such as parenting issues (student attendance, etc.), and totally ignores most Special Education and ELL best practices research.\n\nAlso, increased testing time reduces instructional time (both the "big" state testing done in the spring, and the constant "data collection" efforts by districts using various assessment instruments in an attempt to provide alternative data if the kids fail state testing).\n\nThe "highly qualified" provisions place burden of proof for knowledge and skills on districts and teachers rather than on teacher prep programs. You would think that the college diploma (and continuing professional development certificates) would be proof of appropriate professional training. If incompetent teachers are there, it is because college programs failed to screen them properly. \n\nThe top cause of teacher burnout is paperwork/administrative stress, not the students. NCLB increases paperwork and administrative demands on the teachers.\n\nSchool administrators are finding their hands tied in regards to building discipline, because NCLB places AYP in jeapordy if there are "too many" office referrals and discipline actions...and the real troublemakers are quick to notice this and abuse it.\n\nWell, I could go on with more examples, but you get the idea.
345802
Students change school systems and face new requirements (testing...).\nAlso the language factor. Some schools work very well with students from different countries and in some areas they don't know what to do.\nAnother problem is that some students come from very poor areas and they didn't have good schooling. Students with good schooling learn English earlier and better.
944010
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Child_Left_Behind_Act
1166151
Yeah, the biggest issue is how shocked and traumatized kids will get after school's out for good.  They won't get accepted to every college, they won't get every job they apply for, every loan, every house, every date... it's madness.\n\nBand-Aids on broken arms, yo.  Educators can't be parents, but they can certainly do more to compliment those values parents should be instilling in their children: hard work, honesty, perserverence, team work, etc.  It's a strong and moral system of values that needs to be taught, not ribbons for participation (especially when it's mandatory) and graduation ceremonies for every grade level.\n\nIt reflects America's zealous focus on matierialism that kids now need ribbons and ceremonies and can't be satisfied with virtues that are ends in and of themselves.
368095
In California it's a big problem.  Did you know only 30 something percent of the education budget is spent on teacher's salaries, only 3% on supplies and just 1% on books.  It's in a Claremont Institue study.  The problem is bureaucracy -- the rest of the money is going to a multitiered bureaucracy with a district bureaucracy, a county bureaucracy, and a state bureaucracy.\n\nTo fix it you need to streamline the bureaucracy!  You probably didnt even know there was a county educational bureaucracy -- most people don't -- i say totally eliminate that layer and streamline the rest.  The Claremont study found that when they did that in Texas performance actually went up.  Then use the money you save by cutting the bureaucracy to build new classrooms and hire more teachers, thus reducing classroom size.
170665
Well they sure like to talk about it but the whole "No child left behind" concept has caused many schools to focus only on teaching for the sake of raising test scores and not on having the kids make real practical use of the material. Unfortunately many schools that needed extra help got punished instead.
182194
i found an excellent site for the info your looking for\nhttp://www.whitehouse.gov/news/reports/no-child-left-behind.html
1100824
There are problems with the education systems in every country in the world.  To single America out is unfair and biased.
808326
If you mean, the free education we have that has taught less than 35% of our children to read at a 3rd grade level,  low standards for children, lack of education for the educator and general chaos in our schools as the way we know it today.. I HOPE SO!   I really hope the new changes to the American Education Act (No Child Left Behind) really improves our schools.  The one good thing Bush gave us.  No one is accountable and our children are among the least educated in the world... shameful!
787058
I one hundred percent think the stress is crazy!  I worked in Texas for just one year in a large urban district, and what I saw was really distressing.  This was BEFORE  No Child Left Behind, so I can only imagine that things have gone from bad to worse.  At that time, everyone was terrified of not getting an Excellent rating, and children in my buildings were repeatedly referred to Special Education because they didn't do well on the benchmarks, not even the TASS itself!  Never mind test anxiety, the fact the kid may have been sick, or that the student made straight A's.  So frustrating.\n\nWhat's more frustrating is that with NCLB every school is now falling into that same mess of teaching to the test.  What you discuss in your question, learning process and not just rules, is one of the pitfalls.  There's no time to apply logic when you have so much time to fill in a bubble and move on to the next question.  Following rules is quicker but in no way is better for the student!  \n\nOne other issue I have is how does the state education board decide what should be on the test and why!  And is it developmentally appropriate?  Some of the people aren't even educators!
385704
No Child Left Behind requires that a lot of ridiculous standardized testing is done for every student every year.  The tests mean nothing to the students and they often just fill in the ovals and don't even read the questions, but then the government decides which schools are bad and which are good based on these tests.  Not everyone has to take the ASVAB's and ACT's, so they have to have some tests that ALL students are required to take.  You can thank our politicians for this.
677989
The biggest problem in the US as far as school is concerned is the language barrier.  If the schools I have experienced are any indication, there's not much being done about the language problem.  There seems to be this policy of "Learn English" or fall behind, because we teach in one language and one language only.  Its not good.
309778
poverty, lack of education, corrupt governments that are not being ousted out of power