No Chile Left Behind Act (NCLB)

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 was designed so that all children would receive an education. Apparently the name may originate from the U.S. Army Rangers slogan, “Leave No Man Behind.” The concepts for both ask for the best of an individual, but are very different. The Army trains all their soldiers to be the same and expect the same from each individual. In education, we must view each student differently and adjust to his or her unique style and pace of learning. So passing a law that sweeps across the nation as a whole would definitely leave holes that needed to be filled.

It appears that the government passed a law knowing the amount of funds necessary to allow the Act to be effective. But since 2001 they have contributed very little to the necessary funds. Instead, the government found an excessive amount of money to fund a war. NCLB has been ridiculed by many in the education field because they are asked to abide by the Act, while the government does not. It is difficult to support NCLB because it is apparent the government does not feel it’s a priority. Utah has realized this flaw and requests that they receive full funding otherwise they will not implement NCLB. It seems that all states should follow suit and force the government to make a decision on funding.

An area of NCLB that I found interesting was that parents needed to be notified if their child’s teacher is not highly qualified. This assures parents of who is teaching their child. It also forces school districts to hire qualified individuals. This is an area of NCLB that is working but with funding restraints, it makes it a difficult task. It demonstrates that NCLB had the best interest of the students in mind upon its creation. It is apparent that the execution of the program is where it falls short.

As the Bush era comes to a close, we must find the candidate that realizes changes must be made. Once that individual is voted in, we must make sure that they follow through on their promises. Otherwise we will have at least four more years of children not receiving a proper education. Another four years of stringent testing and undue stress of making sure children pass their statewide assessment tests. A slogan we can use, is that from MTV, “Rock The Vote.”