If you are a teacher in the United States, it is inevitable that you have heard of the No Child Left Behind act. This act was officially put into place in 2002, and only officially went into effect for five years. It has currently been temporarily extended, and President Obama has plans to continue it after a review. There are many people that are for the No Child Left Behind act, and also many people that are against it. Some feel that it is a good idea in theory, but lacks a lot in practice. So, what are some of the pros and cons of the No Child Left Behind act?
Pros
Many feel that this act is a very good step toward accountability of schools. They feel that because of this act, many schools are now stepping up to better educate the children in the school district. There are many standards that are set by this act, both on the education level, and on what it requires to become an educator.
Math, reading, and writing have all come under scrutiny, and now have a much higher emphasis in the school systems.
The No Child Left Behind act is supposed to focus on helping students that are underprivileged, by giving them a quality education, rather than leaving them behind in the dust.
Cons
There has been significant under funding of the act, which makes it very difficult for schools to perform to the level expected.
This act encourage teaching to test. Basically, instead of teaching the students so that they learn, they are now frequently taught just to pass the testing that is required.
The standardized testing that has been put into place is said to be ridiculously low in standards, which is exactly the opposite of what it was meant to be.
