“Is No Child Left Behind where we want to be?”

There are so many things that I can say about NCLB but I will keep my opinions short and simple. First, I ask, “Is No Child Left Behind where we want to be?” NCLB is a national issue that is being silenced across the nation in the name of patriotism. Behind closed doors, teachers, administrators, parents, and other educators engage in vehement discourse against the act that is supposed to fix the education crisis in our country. NCLB fails to address the true causes of plummeting graduation rates, the achievement gap, and other educational inequities inherent our public school system.

I realized that in spite of the good intentions of this act, it has fundamental flaws when it comes funding and implementation. NCLB is focused on high stakes testing that has dramatic consequences and rewards for both students and teachers alike. Test scores do not translate into higher academic achievement. NCLB and its focus on high stakes testing undermine the overall expectations of education and the quality of education that our children receive.