Just because it sounds good doesn’t mean that it is.

This NY Times article about No Child Left Behind really angers me.

No Child Left Behind is a law that was written with good intentions  Behind it is the idea and hope that educators in our country are making every effort  to reach each student in the system.  However, as it passed into law, NCLB has created an educational system that has adverse effects on student learning.  NCLB has created a test-centric educational system where students in early elementary schools are being forced to take standardized tests.  But aside from this…

NCLB measures teacher qualifications, student tests scores, and school ratings. How are the effects of NCLB truly measured?  Well, it depends on which state you live in and how savvy are your state’s politicians.  Does your state require teachers to have a Master’s degree?  NY does, but many states do not.  How do your students fare on the state tests?  The better question is how easy is your test?  Is it designed to ensure that most students will pass?  Or is it designed to truly assess the learnings of the students?  How does your school compare to mine?  Are you in a densely populated area where overcrowding is an issue?  Do you live in a wealthy zip code where there is enough funding for all your students’ needs?

NCLB sets no clear standards for states, educators, parents, or students to meet.  We cannot have 100% proficiency in anything if we don’t know what it means to be proficient.

Additionally, how can NCLB expect schools to implement changes and make building accommodations if there are no additional funding for the schools?   It’s like telling the soldiers in Iraq to do better and win the war without giving them any additional help and resources.

The United States government has regarded education as a matter of the individual state.  This is why educational standards and teacher qualifications vary from state to state.  Being that this is the case, then there should not be a federal law or mandate to which the states need to answer.

In my personal opinion, education should be a federal concern.  All students in this country should be held to the same educational standards.  If we want to truly measure competencies of educators and schools in the country, everyone should take the same tests based on the same national standards.