No Child Left Behind Act

No Child Left Behind Act

Introduction

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 was passed in the year 2001 by the House of Representatives . This is also known in the United States as NCLB . This federal law was signed in January the year 2002 . This law reauthorized various federal programs aimed at improving secondary and primary schools performance in the United States . This is by increasing the accountability standards for schools , school districts and states This also includes providing students ' parents with the flexibility of choosing the schools that their

children can attend . This also created an increased focus on reading (Howell , 2002

In the NCLB legislation deals with theories of education reform that are standard based . Initially , it was known as an education that is outcome based . This is based on the belief that goal setting and high expectation always results in the overall success of student performance . It is a requirement in the Act that an assessment criterion has to be given to students in specific grades (Fred , and Allan 2006 )This is in line with the basic skills that the students have acquired . In the NCLB , a national achievement standard is not but rather the standards are set at the state level . It is a requirement in the Act to distribute the student 's particulars to the military recruiters . Such information includes the address , telephone contacts and the names of every student . This has to be done unless the student 's parents are not for it (Fred , and Allan , 2006

Many people debate on the desirability and the effectiveness of the measures of NCLB . Some of the critics say that NCLB plays a big role in reducing student learning and effective instruction . This is because it can influence the state to lower the necessary goals for achievement This can also play a big role in motivating teachers to try out teaching to the test . Some scholars assert that when systematic testing is carried out , it provides data which helps in showing the schools that are not teaching the basic skills quite effectively . This is done such that such interventions can be put in place to help in reducing the gap of achievement especially for the disadvantaged and the disabled students (Parkerson , 2001

Quality of Teachers

According to the No Child Behind Act , it is a requirement that all the teachers in primary and secondary schools be highly qualified . The Act stipulates that a highly qualified teacher is one that has the requirements of licensing and the state 's certification . The teachers also have to demonstrate expertise in their fields or in their areas of specialization . Teachers have to have a minimum of a bachelor 's degree The teachers who are new in profession have to demonstrate knowledge in their teaching subject and also the necessary skills that accompany Such skills include writing , mathematics , arts and language . These are areas that are quite basic in the entire curriculum of elementary school . The middle and high school...