No Child Left Behind (NCLB), is it the right approach or a bad one? There are a lot of difference views out there. Basically, I think everyone will agree it’s an effort to improve the reading, math and science skills of students by making states more accountable for the results of elementary and secondary students that attend their schools.
After that premise, the controversy begins: 1) what is the appropriate way to fund this accountability of the states that the federal government is now requiring, 2) what are the best methods for measuring improved learning skills, and 3) what are most accurate processes and procedures for recording and identifying results.
Personally, I think – as a teacher – that the premise of NCLB is good. After that I think the federal government should bow out and let the educators resolve the issues. Seriously, the federal government cannot even balance their own budget, how can they be setting policy on how to best educate the next generation of leaders in this great country? Perhaps – just like teachers need to attend professional growth classes to get renew certification – politicians need to attend professional growth classes on balancing budgets to be eligible for reelection….
The point of view form the white house:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/reports/no-child-left-behind.html
Great article by wikpedia on NCLB fundamentals and issues:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Child_Left_Behind_Act
NPR – National Public Radio – five interviews/podcasts that talk about different aspects of the controversy with people in the trenches:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6758994
http://nclb2.ecs.org/Projects_Centers/index.aspx?issueid=gen&IssueName=General
“...... the billions have gone to what is effectively a pilot project for untested programs with friends in high places.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/29/AR2006092901333_pf.html
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For a perspective on NCLB and environmental education (EE), and how EE might be integrated in to NCLB, visit www.FundEE.org.
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