My Thoughts on No Child Left Behind

Although I do believe that the goal set from No Child Left Behind was made with good intentions, I do not believe that it is a realistic goal. Any educator could argue that it is simply not possible for 100 percent of students to be performing at grade level and attaining state-mandated proficiency standards by 2014. Even with the best teaching materials and scientifically proven instructional methods, not all students will achieve at the same level. Walking into a typical first grade classroom as a student teacher, I found that within this one classroom, the students’ ability levels and background experiences were immensely different. Teaching the same lesson to every student in the class did not result in the same learning for each student. For example, even within the realm of language arts learning, there were students who came from homes in which their parents read with them from the time they were toddlers, where as other students whose parents rarely read with their children at home, even when I assigned this task as a nightly homework assignment. Obviously, there were vast differences in these students reading abilities from the time they entered my first grade classroom. It is easy to “assume” that the classroom teacher can help every student (regardless of their background experiences or home life) successfully master the state standards, but this simply does not happen. Every teacher has had the experience in which they have worked with a student one-on-one (sometimes before or after school) and tried several different teaching approaches, but still could not get the material or skills to “click” for that student. Without support from parents or guardians at home, it also makes it very difficult for teachers to make sure that all students have a home life that supports student learning and helps reinforce classroom learning when the student is at home. In my opinion, the entire goal of NCLB should be revised. I do not feel that teachers can continue to be held accountable for all students’ learning or mastery of state standards. It is especially difficult for schools to continue to be held accountable for at risk students, such as low-income students and English language learners. It simply is not fair that students attending an inner-city school must meet the same standards as students attending a high income community school. Anyone who would walk into these two types of schools would find that the materials and resources that are available are much different. I think that in order for NCLB to even begin to work, it would be necessary to prove that every school had the same resources, materials, and highly-qualified teachers. In my opinion, NCLB’s goal needs to be completely revised. If not revised, in order to increase its effectiveness, each school should be able to make their own yearly goals based on their current level of performance, and NCLB should also take into account the resources that are available at each school.