• Background: Passed in 2001, uses standardized testing to measure results
• Debate: There have been improvements v. There have been minimal improvements and many exemptions
• Recent Legislation: Up for reauthorization in 2007

Background

• Passed by the House of Representatives on May 23, 2001 and signed by President Bush on January 8, 2002, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)(Source: Full Text of Act) has sought to impose federal standards on primary and secondary education.
• No Child Left Behind (NCLB) emphasizes standardized testing to measure improvements in reading, math and the sciences. It consists of four general principles: teacher quality, student testing, scientifically based research and public school choice.

Debate

• Support for NCLB highlights improvements in accountability in public education, greater educational options to parents for their children, and the shrinking achievement gap between minority and white students. The Department of Education cites the National Assessment of Educational Progress results as a significant increase in performance since 2001.(Source: ed.gov)
• Critics, however, point to various disappointments. While federal money is flowing into state and local schools, state government has been forced to make severe cuts. Manipulation of standardized testing is a major concern as well, with districts exempting low performing students from testing so as to keep the image of progress in order to keep the checks coming. Still others show disappointment at the destruction of creativity through bureaucratic multiple choice testing, presence of government funded faith-based groups in the schools and the requirement that student information be passed on to military recruiters.

Recent Legislation

• The NCLB Act is up for reauthorization in 2007. Many revisions have been proposed by Republican Congressmen wanting to give more power back to the states. Only time will tell if the government has bubbled in the correct answer.