Policy Initiative of No Child Left Behind NCLB A2 Outline Answer

Policy Initiative/No Child Left Behind (NCLB)

This paper will examine the NCLB (No Child Left Behind) policy initiative.

The Policy

On 8th May, 2002, George W. Bush signed the NCLB Act into law. The Act represents the 1965 ESEA's (Elementary and Secondary Education Act's) most extensive reform ever. The federal government's role in kindergarten to secondary school education has been redefined through the Act, which is expected to help forge the achievement divide between minority and disadvantaged pupils and their fellow pupils. A nationwide Act such as the NCLB guides state standard development (Case Assignment Module ). These represent a form of course benchmarks, having a significant influence on course planning and development. This title's aim is ensuring every child has an equal, significant, and fair chance at obtaining superior quality education as well as (at least) reaching proficiency on difficult state-level academic tests and achievement benchmarks (Title I - Improving The Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged). Incorporation of technology in schoolrooms, by means of stand-alone programs or enhancement, must fulfill state benchmarks (e.g., National Educational Technology Standards (NETS)) for educators as well as learners. NCLB also applies the notions of accountability, flexibility and choice, in reauthorizing other key ESEA initiatives (Archived: Executive Summary of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001). The novel law, for instance, combines Eisenhower's class-size cutback and professional development programs to form a novel teacher quality improvement program, whose focus is employing research-supported practices for preparing, training, and recruiting high-quality educators.

Issues/Policy Levers

Numerous lawmakers are compelled to assert that NCLB boosts learner performance, with the Congress (i.e., the Lever Control) reconsidering the role of the federal government (the Lever, in other words) in the area of school reform. One needs to consider how advocates and policymakers are to assess the impacts of NCLB. Concentrating on 4th graders' performance (which has depicted strongest gains beginning from the early part of the seventies), scholars have revealed that initial growth in test scores has mostly faded since NCLB's passing in the year 2002. Mathematical achievement gains have continued after 2002, though their growth has been slower (Fuller, et.al, 2007). Apparently, performance in a number of states has been steadily climbing. However, the bar that defines proficiency in a majority of states is kept considerably lower, as compared to the definition by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The federal-state result gap has widened since the year 2001. NCLB expects America's lowest performing school districts or schools to display highest academic gain by means of AYP (adequate yearly progress). Concurrently, the policies overlook the funds deficit of these schools and their population (the poorest children are enrolled in them). The most heavily-financed American public schools dedicate almost ten times the amount per pupil that the nation's poorest schools…