Why is there a No Child Left Behind Act if it's just giving kids a harder time?
465561
It's pointless, and only encourages socialism, which forces everyone to conform, think, and act alike.\n\nAll it does is create fear and paranoia into the kids and the school systems.\n\nI thank God my children are in a school that strongly hates the NCLB act, and should be taught under God's prniciples.
424630
It's actually called "No Child Left Behind" or NCLB.  It's the bush administration's attempt at taking the control for education out of the states' hands.  It involves lots and lots of testing as well as many firey hoops that educators must jump through while teaching students how to take standardized tests.  All while giving no addtion federal funding to the states.
208957
I totally agree with you.  I am getting a degree in ECE (early childhood education, K-3) and have decided against student teaching because honestly I do not want to be a teacher anymore. \n\n The things I have witnessed has deterred me from teaching because of the restrictions put on teachers.  Educators are not allowed to explain the realities of situations.  They cannot even go off topic to discuss anything aside from the assigned curriculum. \n\n The No Child Left Behind Act has created chaos due to its focus solely on standardized tests.  Children need to learn and discuss skills in school and not worry about passing a standardized test, which many students fail, only to reflect negatively on the school and its teachers.  To discuss the realities of Hurricane Katrina or whatever main event gong on in the world would be to go off track of the curriculum and thus would not allow the teacher to complete the days math lesson... \n\nI believe the students need to understand that the world does not owe them anything and that they must make their own way to become successful adults.  There is too much of a focus on what the student needs, and in the real world it is the utilitarian view, and not the view of how things will work out best for each individual.  \n\nOnly when we as educators and parents allow students to see the realities of the world and the fact that they must do their own good to make it in the world, will the students of today not feel as though they are owed something.
264748
It's because some of these people are only 9, 10, and eleven.  It just goes to show you how the school system is failing our children.
599263
I think it is sad that public schools are teaching kids what to do to prevent being pregnant istead of teaching kids wht NOT to do to be in a relationship that involves sex whilst at school.\n\nIf schools would spend more time and money into teaching kids how to become independent financially and self responsibility, the new generations would be a better bunch of people.\n\nKids were taught how they can rot the system by becoming irresponsible parents - making kids and then the welfare take over the responsibility to supporting them financially!  What would these kids learn?  That it is OK to lay on their backs or to push girls down and produce like rabbits!  Then draw fortnightly paychecks to support their irresponsible and ignorant lifestyles!\n\n@@@@@@@@@@@@@
396380
The "No Child Left Behind Act": Pros and Cons\nWhat are the Pros? \n\n1. Accountability - Schools and districts must demonstrate annually that all students - and all groups of students - are meeting state goals for grade-level work to be counted as making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). \n\n2. Focus on Children of all Backgrounds – Every state is now required to test all children in grades 3 through 8 and report scores broken down by race, ethnicity, low-income, English proficiency and special needs categories. \n\n3. Highly Qualified Staff – Sets specific requirements for teacher’s degrees and continuing education. \n\n4. Help for High-Poverty Schools – Title I schools receive both financial and technical assistance to develop and implement a school improvement plan. In addition, eligible parents will be able to transfer their children to other public schools if improvement is not met or get outside tutoring assistance for them.\n5. It stirred the literacy program researchers to advise the reinstatement of phonics in early grades. They discredited the premise of whole language in response to low literacy rates.\nCons:\n1. Freedom to Leave Failing Schools - While this is also a positive aspect of the No Child Left Behind Act, it may create problems in areas where many schools are failing to meet the guidelines. There may be no real choice in the end due to higher enrollment numbers in schools performing slightly better. \n\n2. Unrealistic Timeline – While many parts of the timeline set reasonable and realistic expectations as to improvement of student performance, other portions of the timeline may be impractical. For instance, teacher education requirements could be set too soon on the timeline for schools to comply. \n\n3. Unreasonable AYP Requirements – Adequate Yearly Progress is a vital part of any long-term plan, especially for the No Child Left Behind Act. However, some aspects of this goal may be unrealistic in cases of some special needs students and ESL classrooms.\n\n\n 4. The federal law, "No Child Left Behind", and standards-\nbased curriculum clashed. It lead to "teaching to the test". Dire consequences for schools and teachers of "No Child Left Behind" affect curriculum through fear. Literacy program researchers retained much of whole language's jargon and perspective.\nThe "No Child Left Behind Act" is the most recent in a long history of system changes and education reform initiatives, some teacher-directed, others student-centered, this one test-centered.Democracy depends on the literacy of the majority, but success\nhas been elusive.
444359
Is this for the No Child Left Behind?
651598
THEREs a  lot  of  reasons.First  of all  the schools  are  not as safe. Look  at all  the  guns. TEACHERS are  not  treated  well.OR Payed  well.  Most  school systems  don't  have  proper funding. So  teacher  take moneys  out  of their  pockets, to buy supplies and things  4 the students.This  is not attractive to  teacher  who  spent  5+  years  in  college.And discipline is down.When  the discipline is down  so  are the scores. DISCIPLINE is part  of  learning.WHO  wants to teach a class they  abuse you?  AND  further  more  no respect  from  above. So  it ATTRACTS  people  who  barely made it through school. Or  people  just looking 4  a  job.JUST  A  JOB.  TEACHING  should  be  a  calling  in  life. I feel  it  no  longer  attracts  the  good educators  any more.
1140186
You are correct!  Sorry to say.  Teachers in this country do not want to educate... they want to pass the time and offer knowledge and if it is taken, it makes them seem successful.  And the "No child left behind" is the worst thing that could happen to our country's children. \n\nAccording to the statistics of the world's young people, the children of the USA are down in the lower 1/3 level of educated children.  For some reason in this country, educators are under the assumption that knowledge should be FUN and not WORK.  If it becomes work... it is not presented properly... and memorization is a thing of the past.  Vocabulary is not taught, phonics is not taught, penmanship is not taught, grammar is covered lightly... in the public schools.  If a parent wants their child to get a better education, they must send their child to a expensive private school.  \n\nAre the public schools in the USA lacking... YOU BET!!!  Check out the language and the spelling on this site... Even with the use of computer shorthand language... syntax and grammar, spelling and punctuation is appalling.  \n\nLatin is no longer taught... and it is the basis of most of our words in the English language.  It is also the language of all sciences.  If you know just a little bit of Latin, you have a large advantage in any profession.  \n\nWe need a major overhaul in our public education... but it needs to begin with the concepts of teachers requirement and qualifications.  You posed a good question!
1036144
It has been a disaster.\n\nWhat has happened is: a lot of schools have been trying to push out the problem kids because they need their success rate to increase. My nephew went through this and ended up dropping out as soon as he turned 16.
1020766
Recess is going away precisely because of what you said:  more time is perceived to be needed to teach standards and testing content.  It is a HORRIBLE idea, not only because of the fresh air and "break" kids get during recess, but more importantly because they need motor development in elementary school.  For the same reason, it is idiotic to keep a kid who is behaviorally challenged (or any kid) inside at recess as a punishment. \nSadly, what makes sense to parents and teachers seldom gets through the thick heads of administrators on up to the US government.  You have touched upon only one of the many things way wrong with the US public ed system.
776974
We would "just teach" if we were allowed to. Unfortunately, the powers that be dictate to us what we can and cannot teach.  Classes are now geared towards the children being able to pass exit level examinations and just for education for education's sake. It's not the teachers fault, its something that begins at the Federal level.
1068743
The main reason I beleive is Population Levels. If you look at states like Montana, Wisconsin, and so forth, they dont have nearly as much population as lets say LA, or New York. While schools in low population states have less students with a good amount of teachers, schools here in LA and other major cities are stuffed with students, and very few teachers. So whats the best choice the government has?. Well different types of education, for different type of regions. More text work for big  classes, more teacher friendly approach to classes with less students. which in turn means less money spent, less paper work, more time to concentrate on education.
858697
I am a teaching assisant and there are so many children now in the 'inclusion' zone, it is sometimes impossible to have a controlled classroon. There are ADD, Aspergers, extreme low level learners, just plain old bad behaviour alll in the mix as well as the normal good children that are just there to learn. The teachers hands are tied. They can't get rid of any of these children as the law states they have to be included. It can be hell. I feel most sorry for the good ones who are getting left behind because so much time is taken with all of these demanding children.
188077
Schools are on a downward spiral because our\nsociety has no clue as to the solution to\nthe problem of disfunctional homes.  The \nmajority of education is left up to the schools\nwith less and less instructional time.  The\nweeks of testing could be used for helping with\nthe problem.  We have 100% accountability for\nteachers and 0% for parents and students.  As\na result the more competent graduates from \nuniversities are seeking better paying jobs \nwith less stress.
526362
They already do. Teachers in the US make very low wages for the amount of education they have and the amount of work they do. It's almost a volunteer job. They often pay out of their own pockets for school supplies and other materials to help children who don't have enough money to buy them. Without volunteer help, many teachers would not be able to do a decent job. I think parents and the community at large should make it a point to help teachers by voting for school funding and by volunteering to help teachers get their clerical work done.
58420
1. it imposes new, heavy federal requirements on all public schools, but does not provide any extra money for schools to meet those requirements.\n\n2. those requirements come in the form of standardized testing, and links a school's test scores to funding.  if a school does poorly, it gets less money, and if it continues to do poorly (which is likely, if it receives less money), it gets closed down.\n\n3.  this causes schools to focus heavily on preparing students for standardized tests, which is a very task-specific skill set, at the expense of teaching critical thinking, music, arts, and other important programs.\n\n4.  schools with low test scores are often those with little money in poor neighborhoods populated by minority students; these schools are already cash-strapped and struggle to hire decent teachers and maintain decaying facilities.  there is no way that cutting funding even further is going to improve their students' scores.\n\n5. given that minority inner-city students are the ones who start out with poor test scores, it can be construed that NCLB is tilted in favor of white, middle-class suburban students, who already have the benefit of being raised in a wealthy environment that is conducive to success.  seems pretty unfair to me.\n\nin general, NCLB is a form of negative reinforcement - schools with students that perform poorly get hit with more cuts, instead of being helped.  it has been shown many times that behavior modification through negative reinforcement does not work.  NCLB should be modified so that those schools that perform well receive extra funding, and it should include a budget appropriation to pay for the costs of administering the tests and rewards.