NCLB

No Child Left Behind

No Child Left Behind

INTRODUCTION

The No Child Left behind Act (NCLB) is a complex and controversial federal educational reform initiative that was signed into law in 2002. It was a reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. NCLB dramatically increased federal mandates and requirements on states and public school districts and schools. In fact, NCLB represented the most significant expansion in U.S. history of the federal government into education. At the same time, NCLB gave states a great deal of flexibility in determining how they will implement much of the law. Without a doubt, our children are our future, as expressed by President Bush, "We are falling behind too many of our children and youth in need." With the passage of No Child Left Behind, Congress reauthorized the law of Elementary and Secondary Education (Elementary and Secondary Education Act, known by its initials in English ESEA) - the principal federal law affecting education from kindergarten to upper secondary or high school.

Overview of the Legal Issues

No Child Left Behind is an education reform bill passed by President Bush's Congress in 2001. It says that all children should be proficient in academics such as reading, mathematics and Science. Although parents, students and education experts recognize that many of our schools are failing to effectively teach their students, forcing these schools to meet higher standards and suffer from sanctions higher without providing additional resources equivalent to a certain failure (Charles, 2004). Two school districts and 231 public schools in the Bay Area were designated as "failing" in 2004, and many of these schools will ultimately be closed, reorganized or past the state. Instead of improving schools with low academic performance, the impact of NCLB is replacing them with charter schools (schools run by private firms financed by public funds). Schools charter violates the hard-won benefits for unions and teachers and makes our schools even less responsive to the needs of the communities they serve (The White House, 2001).

Overview of the policies identified

The new education law requires schools to create more ways to involve parents of students. The worst-performing schools must have written policies that specify how to involve parents and how they will seek advice from you to improve poor performance. The law also gives greater flexibility to education officials. This means you can work with the school board, administrators and other professionals to build the best educational program for your child.

Policies For students

Students who are between 3-8 degrees will be reviewed each year in math and English to ensure they meet the minimum requirements of the state. 10-12 degrees students must pass a test at least once. Since 2007, states also test students to determine their level of knowledge in science.

Policies For teachers

Your child's teachers must be "highly qualified" in the subjects they teach. Each state determines what knowledge teachers must possess to be considered highly qualified, but it is likely that as part of the requirements will require a degree in ...