Many Children are Left Behind

Here is the big question:  Should President Obama reform the No Child Left Behind law?  The simple answer is yes-but the longer answer is that the law should be done away with completely.

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) act was proposed by former US President George W. Bush on January 23, 2001-immediately after he took office.  It was coauthored by Representatives John Boehner (Republican, Ohio) and George Miller (Democrat, California) and Senators Judd Gregg (Republican, New Hampshire) and Edward Kennedy (Democrat, Massachusetts), and signed by President Bush.

The NCLB act aimed to improve education in several ways.  It wanted to:

• Increase accountability for states, school districts and schools
• Give parents flexibility in choosing schools
• Ensure that 100% of the children are proficient in English and math by 2014
• Schools are also required to give student information to military recruiters, unless the parents opt out.  If a school does not provide this information, it loses funding.

Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) is used to ensure that these goals are met.  Students are split up into subgroups, and these subgroups are measured in math and communication arts by assessments.  If a school does not make “adequate progress” in one of these areas, it is deemed as a “failing school” and students have the option of moving to a different school if this continues.  (http://dese.mo.gov/divimprove/nclb/QandA.html#What_is_adequate_ yearly_progress_(AYP) )

So it sounds good in theory, doesn’t it?  The thing is, when something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.  There is a major flaw in the No Child Left Behind act-and that flaw is that it never stood a chance.  It was bound to fail from the beginning for many reasons, which include the following:

• Under the NCLB act, each state is allowed to define their own standards. Thus, if a state sets low standards, they will likely be met. States with higher standards will almost always fail.
• It does not take into account children in the special education system. There are children out there that will never have the mental capability to pass these tests. Progress for them might be measured by simple tasks such as tying a shoelace-not test-taking.
• On the other end of the spectrum, it does not take into account gifted children. Gifted children may perform well on the tests, but if the teacher is forced to teach solely to the test, gifted children will not receive enough stimulation and will suffer as well.
• States with a high number of students that speak English as a second language suffer under this act.
• Many teachers are required to teach to the test, and are forced to cut activities such as art and music.
• Children that are moved from a failing school by concerned parents often aren’t the ones that are struggling.
• If a school does not meet its goals, it does not receive all of the funding. This gives the school no chance to recover from it. Struggling schools should be helped, not punished.
• Schools do not have adequate funding to implement this program.

So basically this is an act that cannot do well because of fundamental reasons.  Almost every politician agrees that it needs to be fixed-the big question is how?  Should it be reformed, or should it be abolished all together so that it can be completely rewritten?

First, let’s see how President Obama plans to reform it.  In his agenda for education, there is a section under K-12 entitled “Reform No Child Left Behind.”  He states that the goals that him and Biden share are:

• Funding the law
• Improve assessments used to track student progress so that they measure readiness for college and/or the workplace.
• Improve the accountability system so that struggling schools are supported and not punished.

For the K-12 system, President Obama has several additional goals, including:

• Support high-quality schools and close low-performing charter schools
• Make math and science education a national priority
• Address the dropout crisis
• Expand high-quality after-school activities
• Support college outreach programs
• Support English language learners
• Recruit teachers
• Prepare teachers
• Retain teachers
• Reward teachers

These are all fantastic goals-but there’s a major flaw in this as well.  There isn’t enough funding for this.  Even Obama’s 2-year stimulus plan cannot do this-it is too short-term for schools to use the money to hire more teachers.  There is also the fact that many states are facing a budget crisis and may even have to cut the school year short as it is.

So what else can we do?  Personally, I think the No Child Left Behind act requires enough of a change that it would be simpler to throw it out and start over again.  Unfortunately, standardized testing is probably here to stay.  However, it should be approached differently this time around.

• There needs to be a national standard rather than a state standard.  When each state determines their own standards, states with easy standards will always do better than those with difficult ones.  A national standard would cut the need for this.
• That does not mean that every child in a grade level must take the same test.  In middle and high school levels, tests should be determined by the classes the student is in, rather than their grade level.
• Special education students should be assessed based on progress reports rather than testing.  This could be done by a different test, or a neutral party can assess the children at several points throughout the year to determine improvement.  Goals can be set for these children if applicable.
• Students that have limited English skills should be assessed by their progress in English until they have caught up to their peers in terms of language skills.
• Schools should be awarded based off of student improvement/ progress.  If a 3^rd grade child reads at a kindergarten level and progresses to a second grade level throughout the course of the year, she still made more improvement than her peer that remained at grade level.
• Struggling schools require more assistance.  It may or may not be a case of funding-struggling schools need to be given adequate training on improvement.

There will be arguments to that plan as well.  If different groups of children take different tests, how can we tell if one group slips through the cracks?  We can’t, but that it is preventable with the current system.  The teachers, the school, the state, and the federal government will have to hold accountability.

We must all work together to ensure that each child has the best education possible.

SOURCE LIST

Source Note 1 (Institutional #1)
Source Note 2 (Journalistic #1)
Source Note 3 (Journalistic #2, Multimedia #1)
Source Note 4  (Journalistic #3, Multimedia #2)
Source Note 5  (Journalistic #4)
Source Note 6  (Journalistic #5)
Source Note 7  (Institutional #2)
Source Note 8  (Citizen #1, Blog #1)
Source Note 9   (Institutional #3)
Source Note 10  (Institutional #4)
Source Note 11  (Academic #1)
Source Note 12  (Academic #2)
Source Note 13  (Citizen #2, Blog #2)
Source Note 14  (Journalistic #6, Multimedia #3)
Source Note 15  (Academic #3, Still Image #1)
Source Note 16  (Academic #4, Still Image #2)
Source Note 17  (Academic #5, Still Image #3)
Source Note 18  (Citizen #3, Blog #3)
Source Note 19  (Institutional #5, Still Image #4)
Source Note 20  (Citizen #4, Multimedia #4)
Source Note 21  (Institutional #6, Multimedia #5)
Source Note 22  (Citizen #5, Still Image #5, Blog #4)
Source Note 23  (Citizen #6, Interview #1)
Source Note 24  (Citizen #7, Interview #2)
Source Note 25  (Citizen #8, Inverview #3)
Source Note 26  (Journalistic #7)
Source Note 27  (Journalistic #8, Multimedia #6)
Source Note 28  (Academic #6)
Source Note 29 (Journalistic #9)
Source Note 30  (Journalistic #10)

Source Note 30

Title: Invest in education, ensure a better future
Summary:  Although each president plans to reform education, Obama’s plans to reform education are one of the most well-thought out plans to come to Washington in a long time.    

Topic: Should President Obama reform the No Child Left Behind law?
Category: Journalistic: Mainstream
What is it? An online version of an editorial written in the Miami Herald
Publication Information: 3/13/08, Miami Herald
Author: None Given
Location: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/337/story/63919.html
Accessed:  3/13/09

Support:
President Barack Obama is mentioned in regards to his plan on reforming education.  The Department of Education is also mentioned in regards to Obama’s plan.  Former US President, George W. Bush is mentioned because No Child Left Behind was an act he administered and supported.  The Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan is mentioned because of his efforts to reform education.  
The Miami Herald is a newspaper that serves Miami and its metropolitan area.  The online version of the paper is available to the general public.  

Audience and Agenda:

Usefulness:
This article had some good information.  It talks about Obama’s plans for education, which include promoting competition, accountability and charter schools, among other things.  The article also claims that although each US president lays out a plan for education, Obama’s seems like one of the most well-thought out ones to come in a while. Miami Herald has high hopes for Obama.    

Works Cited:
http://www.miamiherald.com/677/
http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/president_obama/
http://www.ed.gov/index.jhtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_W._Bush
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arne_Duncan

Source Note 29

Title: Dispelling myths can help fix ailing schools
Summary: A fairly unbiased view on the education system as a whole, and why both liberal and conservative policies have failed.  Talks extensively about No Child Left Behind.

Topic: Should President Obama reform the No Child Left Behind law?
Category: Journalistic:  Mainstream
What is it? An article written in the commentary of the editorial section of the Detroit News.
Publication Information: 3-13-09, Detnews.com
Author: Kalman R. Hettleman
Location: http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090313/OPINION01/903130319
Accessed: 3/13/09

Support:
Harvard-based Public Education Leadership Project is directly quoted as mentioning that No Child Left Behind has failed to improve an urban school system. Richard Elmore believes that teachers have an odd view of professionalism. Council of Urban Boards of Education said that two-thirds of teachers do not feel the need for more professional training. Baltimore Sun is quoted. National Council on Teacher Quality says that teachers view teaching reading as a personal thing, up to each teacher. Jonathan Kozol mentions inequalities in education between nations–and that the US remains lower on average. Former U.S. Education Secretary Rod Paige is quoted as calling National Education Associationa “terrorist organization.”  Meanwhile, Barack Obama only mildly rebuked unions for teachers. Thomas B. Fordham Institute is a conservative insitute that measured the top 50 school districts and analyzed them. Mayors Michael R. Bloomberg and Adrian M. Fenty are mentioned because of their efforts to abolish school boards.

Audience and Agenda:
The Detroit News serves many people throughout Detroit Michigan and its metropolitan areas.  This article was intended for the general public to read, and because it appears online, is available to a much wider audience.

Usefulness:
This article is interesting.  It discusses how both liberals and conservatives would like to reform education–and why they both failed.  It talks about teacher’s unions (which again, both groups are typically against), and if teachers should have greater autonomy or greater testing.  It was an interesting, fairly unbiased view of the education system as a whole.    

Works Cited:
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/frontpage
http://www.hbs.edu/pelp/
http://www.nsba.org/SecondaryMenu/CUBE.aspx
http://www.gse.harvard.edu/faculty_research/profiles/profile.shtml?vperson_id=315
http://www.baltimoresun.com/
http://www.nctq.org/
http://www.nea.org/
http://www.ed.gov/news/staff/bios/paige.html

http://www.edexcellence.net/template/index.cfm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Bloomberg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrian_Fenty

Source Note 28

Title: No Child Left Behind: Neglecting Excellence.
Summary: The No Child Left Behind act not only leaves behind disabled children and English learners, but gifted children as well.

Topic: Should President Obama reform the No Child Left Behind law?
Category: Academic
What is it? An article “thought piece” about how the No Child Left Behind act affects gifted children.  
Publication Information: Roeper Review; Fall2006, Vol. 29 Issue 1, p24-27, 4p
Author: Marcia Gentry
Location: http://0-search.ebscohost.com.janus.uoregon.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=22985383&loginpage=login.
asp&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Accessed: 3/13/09

Support:
Tomlinson states that proficiency isn’t enough. US Department of Education is mentioned in terms of its Excellency Report. National Center for Educational Statistics is mentioned in regards to one of their reports. Houston Public Schools are mentioned in regards to claims made to their improvement with No Child Left Behind that were later shown to be false. Former Secretary of Education, Rod Paige is also mentioned in regards to this. 

Audience and Agenda:
The Roeper Review is a journal written on research of gifted and talented children.  It is a niche audience, but one that is neglected with this topic.

Usefulness:
This is an interesting article from a different perspective.  There are a lot of articles available about the children that aren’t meeting the standards and are pulling down the schools, but not many about the children that are being negatively impacted because the No Child Left Behind act doesn’t leave room for them to challenge themselves.  These children might not be lowering the AYP, but it doesn’t change the fact that they are not improving.      

Works Cited:
http://www.roeper.org/RoeperInstitute/index.aspx

http://www.ed.gov/index.jhtml

http://nces.ed.gov/
http://www.ed.gov/news/staff/bios/paige.html
http://www.houston.k12.mn.us/se3bin/clientschool.cgi?schoolname=school184

Source Note 27

Title: YouTube Debate: No Child Left Behind – Scrap or Revise?
Summary: In this debate, two presidential candidates share their views on the No Child Left Behind act.  Both these views are very similar:  ”Scrap it!”

Topic: Should President Obama reform the No Child Left Behind law?
Category: Journalistic:  Mainstream; Multimedia
What is it? A Youtube.com video of the first Democratic Primary Debate of the 2008 Election cycle, given by CNN and Youtube.   
Publication Information: July 23, 2007; Youtube.com and CNN.  
Author: Politicstv
Location: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VBur2clylg
Accessed: 3/13/09

Support:
Gov. Richardson says to scrap No Child Left Behind because education isn’t “one size fits all.”  Senator Joe Biden says to scrap it as well, and that he regrets voting for it.  He also mentions his faith in Ted Kennedy.

Audience and Agenda:
Both CNN and Youtube.com are major companies that reach a lot of people.  These videos were available to all with internet access–and the questions from this debate were sent from around the world.  This was the first debate of the 2008 Democratic primary cycle.

Usefulness:
While neither of these candidates is President Obama, Joe Biden is the current vice-president, so it is interesting to hear his views when he is not backing up Obama.  Both candidates support backing up math and science because those are the two areas where the U.S. scores poorly compared to other developed nations.  Both candidates also seem to share the belief that it would be easier to scrap the entire program and start anew.    

Works Cited:
http://www.youtube.com/user/Politicstv
http://www.youtube.com/
http://www.cnn.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Richardson

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Biden

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Kennedy

Source Note 26

Title: Pros & Cons of the No Child Left Behind Act
Summary: This is a fair and balanced article discussing the pros and cons of the No Child Left Behind act, as well as possible reforms to it.

Topic: Should President Obama reform the No Child Left Behind law?
Category: Journalistic: Mainstream
What is it? An article by a freelance journalist for About.com
Publication Information: About.com, a part of The New York Times Company
Author: Deborah White
Location: http://usliberals.about.com/od/education/i/NCLBProsCons.htm
Accessed: 3/13/09

Support:
Senate Democrats are mentioned as being divided over this act.  Senate Republicans are mentioned as despising the act.  Teacher unions are mentioned indirectly as opposing the act as a whole. Utah Governor Jon Huntsman signed legislation allowing Utah schools to pull out of the No Child Left Behind act.  The Education Department is mentioned as threatening to withdraw funds from Utah. Former Education Secretary Margaret Spellings is mentioned because of her book.  The Bush Administration is also mentioned in regards to this and how they want to strengthen the No Child Left Behind act.  The House of Representatives is mentioned because they passed the act.  George W. Bush is mentioned as signing the law.  Sen. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts is mentioned as a major advocate of No Child Left Behind.  Texas Governor William P. Clements is mentioned because he worked with Spellings on her education reforms.  Robert Spellings is mentioned because he lobbied for school vouchers. Sen. Mike Enzi, Rep. George Miller and Rep. Howard McKeon are all mentioned as members of the commitee for the No Child Left Behind Act.

Audience and Agenda:
The New York Times Company is the leading media company in 2008, with revenues of $2.9 billion.  It includes papers such as the New York Times, The Boston Globe, etc… as well as over 50 web sites.

Usefulness:
This was a very useful article, and very fair in assessing the pros and cons of the No Child Left Behind act.  While the author had a definate bias, both sides were reported fairly.  There were also a lot of useful statistics given.    

Works Cited:

http://usliberals.about.com/mbiopage.htm

http://democrats.senate.gov/
http://www.nytco.com/company/index.html
http://www.ed.gov/index.jhtml
http://www.utah.gov/governor/index.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Spellings
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidency_of_George_W._Bush
http://www.house.gov/
http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/GeorgeWBush/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Kennedy

http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/tamucush/00045/tamu-00045.html
http://www.robertdspellings.com/
http://enzi.senate.gov/public/
http://georgemiller.house.gov/
http://mckeon.house.gov/

Source Note 25

Title: Interview 3
Summary: A high school senior from Orange County, California gives her views on the No Child Left Behind act.

Topic: Should President Obama reform the No Child Left Behind law?
Category: Citizen:  Commentator; Interview
What is it? An interview with a high school senior from Orange County, California
Publication Information: N/A
Author: Source wishes to remain anonymous
Location: N/A
Accessed: 3/10/09

Support:
The source is mainly concerned about standardized testing.  She discusses her take on it, and how she started taking tests as young as second grade.  She mentions President Bush and President Obama in the interview.  

Audience and Agenda:
N/A

Usefulness:
Overall, this was not as useful as my discussions with the teachers.  While she had some set opinions on the standardized tests that were decent, she did not have an opinon on a better solution.  She does mention that she had difficulties taking the test because the reading would tire her eyes, or she wouldn’t finish in time.  She agrees that many changes have to be made, because she knows many intelligent students that fare poorly on these tests, yet some that aren’t so intelligent that know how to get higher scores.  

Works Cited: N/A

Source Note 24

Title: Interview 2
Summary: An interview with a first grade teacher discussing the No Child Left Behind act and its shortcomings when it comes to Special Education students, as well as students that do not speak English as a first language.

Topic: Should President Obama reform the No Child Left Behind law?
Category: Citizen: Commentator; Interview
What is it? An interview with a first grade teacher from Orange County, California.  
Publication Information: N/A
Author: Source wishes to remain anonymous
Location: N/A
Accessed: 3/2/09

Support:
The interviewee is a first grade teacher, though she has previously taught anywhere from first to third grades.  She has had experience teaching several special education students (as well as assisting in a special education classroom) as well as experience teaching non-English speaking students, specifically Hispanic.  She has been teaching for 10 years.  

Audience and Agenda:
N/A

Usefulness:
It was useful talking to a teacher about the No Child Left Behind act.  This teacher had a lot of experience teaching students that are impacted negatively by it.  She talks about a boy that she had in her class a few years ago that was severely autistic–it was a good day for him if he remembered her name.  He had a full-time aide with him so that he could attend “mainstream schooling,” despite the fact that he was not up to par with the other students.  She believes that it would have been more beneficial for him to learn at his own pace and to eventually learn how to take care of himself.  She also talks about how many of the schools are affected by the high hispanic population in Orange County, and that not all children qualify for ESL (English as a Second Language) as they should.    

Works Cited: N/A

Source Note 23

Title: Interview 1

Summary: An interview with Debbie Slater, a teacher from Anaheim, California.

Topic: Should President Obama reform the No Child Left Behind law?
Category: Citizen:  Commentator; Interview
What is it? An interview with a teacher in the Orange Unified School District (located in Southern California)
Publication Information: N/A
Author: Interviewee is called Debbie Slater.
Location: N/A
Accessed: 3/2/09

Support:
Debbie Slater is an elementary school teacher from Orange County, California.  She believes that there are many problems with No Child Left Behind and that it cannot succeed as it is currently written.

Audience and Agenda:
N/A

Usefulness:
It was very useful talking to a teacher about the No Child Left Behind act.  She offered some very insightful opinions as to why the act cannot work.  She also expressed her opinion that one of the best ways to improve children’s learning is to have a smaller teacher-to-student ratio.  She also explains that every child is not the same, and it isn’t fair to test them as if they were.

Works Cited: N/A

Source Note 22

Title: Leaving no child behind in South Brunswick Summary: While all but three schools in this school system meet the criteria indicated in the No Child Left Behind act now, all of them still fall short of reaching the goal for 2014.

Topic: Should President Obama reform the No Child Left Behind law?
Category: Citizen:  Commentator, Blog, Still Images
What is it? This is a WordPress.org blog called Superintendent’s Corner.  It also contains several charts and graphs.
Publication Information: Published 12/6/07 at http://blogs.sbschools.org/superintendent/2007/12/06 leaving-no-child-behind-in-south-brunswick/
Author: None given (assumed to be superintendent from South Brunswick School District)
Location: http://blogs.sbschools.org/superintendent/2007/12/06/leaving-no-child-behind-in-south-brunswick/
Accessed: 3/12/09

Support:
The state of New Jersey is mentioned in regards to its public schools and testing.   Greenbrook Elementary School is mentioned as falling short for helping children with disabilities according to standards. Crossroads North Middle School had difficulties helping children with disabilities learn mathematics. South Brunswick High School had the same problem. Congress is mentioned in terms of some proposals. Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) is mentioned as one of those proposals.  Individuals with Disabilities Education Act [IDEA] is mentioned in regards to its goal to protect children with disabilties.

Audience and Agenda:
The author of this blog article is a superintendent for a South Brunswick School District.  The readers are assumed to be teachers and parents in that school district, though the blog is made available to the general public.

Usefulness:
This is a useful article for several reasons.  It gives yet a different perspective on how the No Child Left Behind act affects those in the education industry.  It also does a good job in explaining the charts and graphs used in the article and gives detailed reports.  The superintendent appears to be very knowledgable about the subject.

Works Cited:
http://wordpress.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Jersey
http://www.sbschools.org/schools/xrds/
http://www.sbschools.org/schools/gb/ http://www.sbschools.org/schools/sbhs/ http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Individuals_with_Disabilities_Education_Act http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Title_I http://www.sbschools.org/index.php