No Child Left Behind

The No Child Left Behind legislation has altered the landscape of elementary schools across the nation . This alteration has left many educators and parents wondering whether children are being robbed of their childhood in to meet the legislation 's many mandates . Across the nation , traditional school days , instructional programs , and programs such as recess , music , and art , along with programs for the gifted and educationally disabled , have been eliminated for altered beyond recognition . This addresses those concerns by citing evidence of the potential harm to students and by interviewing stakeholders who

have direct involvement with the children as either teachers or parents

The impact of No Child Left Behind has been felt in many different fashions by the nation 's elementary school children . Not only are the so called 'normal children ' being impacted by the act 's mandates , the children who are identified as 'undeserved ' are also feeling the impact These are children who are receiving services in gifted education programs , and programs for the educationally disadvantaged (Browder Cooper-Duffy 2003 McMahon , 2005 . On the other hand , there appears to be little compromise on the horizon regarding NCLB and its expectations According to U .S . Education Secretary , the nation 's parents and educators have had expectations that are undeniably too low , resulting in a set of standards and goals that have reflected those expectations for students . The Secretary credits No Child Left Behind for the raising of those standards and indicates that the nation 's education report card is improving with encouraging results indicated by reading scores that have increased more in the last 5 years than in the previous 29 years combined . Spelling maintains that a great deal of work lies ahead and that school are headed in the right direction (Hardy , 2006 . It appears that battle lines are forming among the proponents of the act and those who feel as if the act is compromising the holistic needs of the nation 's children

A trend seems to be affecting school districts in the United States Many are beginning to implement no recess ' policies under the belief that recess is a waste of time that would be better spent on academics . Officials in many school districts indicate that it is the new emphasis on high-stakes testing that is to blame or dwindling recess in time . This trend concerns parents , principals , and teachers who feel that recess is a vital part of the school day to students . Recess allows students to exercise and to work off pent-up energy . More than that recess is perceived by many to be a laboratory for forming social relationships and finding one 's place in the world . The loss of recess according to experts in child health and psychology , results in a more sedentary , stressed-out youngster who may encounter significant difficulties learning to socialize . The number one barrier to physical activity in schools is the perception that time spent in activities such as physical education and recess will undermine academic learning Physical education and...