No Child Left Behind

No Child Left Behind: A Failing System

No Child Left Behind Failing To Meet Goals

No Child Left Behind needs to be revamped so that it addresses the issue of the public education system that students are facing in society today. There has not been any changes made to the flawed act since first passed in 2001 by President George W. Bush, despite the fact that even with the NCLB act, students in several states are still failing to meet the basic proficiency requirements needed.

A Failing System

The first thing that proves No Child Left Behind is a failing system is that thirty percent of the nation’s schools failed to make yearly progress. Diverse schools are more likely to fail simply because they serve children from more demographic groups, all of which must meet No Child Left Behind mandates simultaneously. Based on the research of several independent researchers agree that nearly all schools will eventually be labeled as “In Need of Improvement" and sanctioned under No Child Left Behind. This will happen because of the way Adequate Yearly Progress statistics are calculated, not because all schools are actually in need of major improvement. Demanding that disabled and limited English proficient students reach proficiency on standardized tests sets many schools up for failure. The tests are grossly inadequate and invalid measures of these students' learning. Rather than provide resources and guidance so schools can offer the individualized approaches these students need, No Child Left Behind claims that by holding them to the same standards they will magically rise to the occasion. Nevertheless, those groups disproportionately fail to meet AYP targets. The implementation of the NCLB goals calls for high-level standards that are measurable for all students. There is no doubt that NCLB has provided for an increased focus on student populations that have traditionally performed at low levels (Borowski & Sneed, 2006; Guilfoyle, 2006; Haycock, 2006; Hess,...