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No child left behind act short summary
Effects of the no child left behind act
Negatives of the no child left behind act
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Beth Kanarek
Period 1
Ms. Gillis, AP Language
3/21/14
Left Behind Using No Child Left Behind
Pulitzer Prize winner for editorial cartoons, David Horsey, in No Child Left Behind, displays the effects of the No Child Left Behind system in schools. Horsey’s purpose is to demonstrate how No Child Left Behind has negative effects in the way schools teach in today’s society. By using contrasting colors and exaggerated images, he illustrates the way schools are forced to teach children in order to prove to American voters that this system needs to be changed. Horsey uses this cartoon to argue that the No Child Left Behind policy is not as salutary to schools and students as it may seem on paper.
No Child Left Behind is an Act that was passed in 2002 as a reauthorization of a previously passed law, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Both of these were passed in order to ensure equal education in public schools. In theory this sounds like a fantastic way to make sure teachers weren’t slacking on their disadvantaged students. In practice, the method of checking in on the schools has received criticism by many. In Horsey’s political carton, the first aspect a viewer’s eye is drawn to is the large woman in black clothing. Without much thought, one can assume that the large woman is a callous teacher because of her hunched over posture, dark clothing, and unwieldy looking nose. These features are used to symbolize the government who is forcing today’s school system to be based around filling in bubbles on a Scantron.
The viewer’s gaze will then be led to the little girl dreamily peering out the window. The little girl appears to be jumping up in order to see out the window, her eyes barely crossing the barrier between the class r...
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...s high testing scores. They are also all connected to some sort of machine that is reminiscent to that of a science fictional brain washing machine. The tubes and round hat illustrate how Horsey and many others believe that schools brainwash children into believing that the only way to succeed in life is to not be left behind in math, reading, or writing.
Horsey’s cartoon captures an exaggerated view of what most public school classrooms look like today. With these exaggerations, Horsey is successful in demonstrating the apparent contrast in the ways the arts are treated in comparison to how standardized tests are treated. The machines on some children’s heads shows what schools want students to think about, tests and what they need to do to pass. This illustrates the issues of the current No Child Left Behind laws and epitomizes the way schools and students think.
The Articles of Confederation was America’s first constitution. The Articles of Confederation failed to create a strong central government, however. With the demise of the states in sight, the need for a stronger and more structured central government became apparent. An invitation was sent to all thirteen states in February 1787 by the Confederation Congress to resolve the matter. The events that took place over the next several months would create the United States Constitution. Going down in history as a revolutionary form of government, the U.S. Constitution would give life to a country that is still running strong over 200 years later.
The Articles of Confederation were approved by Congress on November 15, 1777 and ratified by the states on March 1, 1781. It was a modest attempt by a new country to unite itself and form a national government. The Articles set up a Confederation that gave most of the power to the states. Many problems arose and so a new Constitution was written in 1787 in Independence Hall. The new Constitution called for a much more unified government with a lot more power. Let us now examine the changes that were undertaken.
The ability for all children from varying walks of life to receive a well-rounded education in America has become nothing more than a myth. In excerpt “The Essentials of a Good Education”, Diane Ravitch argues the government’s fanatical obsession with data based on test scores has ruined the education system across the country (107). In their eyes, students have faded from their eyes as individual hopefully, creative and full of spirit, and have become statistics on a data sheet, percentages on a pie chart, and numbers calculated to show the intelligence they have from filling out bubbles in a booklet. In order for schools to be able to provide a liberal education, they need the proper funding, which comes from the testing.
An institution that is large has a group of individuals or situations that shapes what it becomes. Without a doubt the American education system has had multiple examples that have shaped what it is today. There have been individuals that have placed emphasis such as Mann that brought the common school concept to light. In addition, there were landmark court cases that allowed minorities to also receive equal educations. Furthermore, there has been strong political influence over the years of American education development. This paper will focus on the importance of Horace Mann, John Dewey, the Science and Math Education Movement, and the No Child Left Behind Act.
Even with the negative and positive functions of No Child Left Behind, there are many areas that still need to ironed out. Under the Obama administration several states have received a waiver from No Child Left Behind, “with this waiver students will still be tested annually. But starting this fall, schools in those states will no longer face the same prescriptive actions spelled out under No Child Left Behind” (Feller & Hefling, 2012). Since 2007, the law has been up for review, but due to opponents of the law there has not been an agreement reached and the law continues to stress our schools and children out. We can only hope that when this law is reviewed and agreed upon that it really is in the best interest of our children and the nation as a whole.
The implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act applied a market approach to school reform as a way of improving the school system. This new law promised an era of high standards, testing, and accountability in
Neill, Monty. "The No Child Left Behind Act Is Not Improving Education." Education: Opposing Viewpoints. New York: Greenhaven, 2005. 162-68. Print.
She explains how standardized tests, such as the one her students took, were designed with numerous interference techniques, included questions which were above-grade material, and were administered with inadequate time to answer the questions being presented. Stahlman goes on to express her frustration with a standardized test which was administered to her students by saying "I watched in horror as my precious students, who were gifted poets and writers, inquisitive scientists and mathematicians, lovers of books, remarkable artists, and caring learners, were forced to silently attempt to master a test that was designed to trip them up." (Stahlman 242) The author also states how these standardized tests seem to be high-stakes in nature due to schools being labeled and ranked according to their scores and teachers being rewarded due to their students achievement in these tests. This article serves as one of my stronger arguments for my case compared to my other sources, due to its exemplification of how the proliferation of such tests is alarming and how the standardized testing of students at such a young age is not appropriate due to their cognitive development. The article is also useful in the sense that is provides a valid and sound argument for the opposition of standardized testing. I will be implementing this source into my argumentative essay by providing examples from Stahlman's text on how bizarre standardized testing might seem when it comes to the assessment of students, especially at such a young age. It will also serve as a good source for proving how much of a bearing standardized tests hold on the assessment of not only students but teachers as
The constitutional convention began in Philadelphia on May 25, 1787. The thirteen colonies involved at the time we ruled under the Articles of Confederation. The articles however became weak had flaws that the founding fathers noticed quickly with the states appearing to have individual power. On September 14, 1786 a meeting was established that gave out a call for the upcoming grand convention. Attendance was a huge issue in congress. The delegates from those states believed that is they didn’t show up then nothing can happen, but everything happens anyways. After the Annapolis meeting, selected delegates from the colonies met in Pennsylvania. They had to create and make new laws for the constitution; such as, establishing a unified currency.
The Articles of Confederation was the first constitution in the United States. This constitution was drafted in 1776 and approved in 1781. It didn’t create a very strong form of government. The Articles were essentially a “league of friendship”.The government only had one house of delegates under this constitution. Each state only counted as one vote when laws were made or changed.The
No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is currently the educational policy in the United States. Prior to NCLB the educational policies in effect were “A Nation at Risk, in 1987 America 2000, and a few years later with Goals 2000” (Eisner, 2001, p.21). No Child Left Behind is a test based accountability system used in schools to measure their performance holding the districts, administrators and teachers liable and accountable for the outcomes. Supovitz (2009) States that No Child Left Behind was a major reform initiative intended to bring about widespread improvements in student performance and reduce inequities between ethnic groups and other traditionally under-served populations like economically disadvantaged students, students from major racial
She says that “the public is largely unaware of the problem” of low level education taught in urban high schools. This implies that the public is not concerned if the students receive the correct level of education. This seems reasonable, because for student failure, teachers use the excuse of “lack of parental support” to the policy makers. The policy makers are accepting this excuse, but at the same time the policy makers don’t put in the time and effort in checking how the teachers are performing. For example, “policymakers don’t visit classrooms or, as we do, sit in on teacher meetings designed to help teachers reflect on their work.” This results in teachers are allowed to perform their job in how they want. For example, “teachers have been trained to think their work is done if they have delivered the material in the textbook, kept the class from bothering the principal and assigned grades that don’t fail too many students.” With this, teachers believe they are doing a good job even if students don’t learn anything. Mitchell makes another claim that teachers are blaming the “background” of students to the policy makers. Color students that speak “accented english” are contending with the “white middle class,” seem to be requiring elementary mechanics at the high school level. The students seem to be “capable of only drawing; as in need of discipline rather than encouragement. They are asked to make acrostics in middle school social studies; to write eight sentences in high school English class; and to fill out endless worksheets in math class.” The reasoning for students only able to do these activities is because the students “are not turned on.” Unmotivation to do well seems to be the problem, along with the nonsense
Alfie Kohn, author of The Case against Standardized Testing, recalls a specific incident of how children are being cheated out of valuable class time. He states that a school in Massachusetts used a remarkable unit, for a middle-school class, where students chose an activity and extensively researched it, and reported or taught, it to the class. This program has had to be removed from the course curriculum in order to devote enough time to teaching prescribed material for their standardized tests.
In society, education can be seen as a foundation for success. Education prepares people for their careers and allows them to contribute to society efficiently. However, there is an achievement gap in education, especially between Hispanics and Blacks. In other words, there is education inequality between these minorities and white students. This achievement gap is a social problem in the education system since this is affecting many schools in the United States. As a response to this social problem, the No Child Left Behind Act was passed to assist in closing this achievement gap by holding schools more accountable for the students’ progress. Unsuccessful, the No Child Left Behind Act was ineffective as a social response since schools were pushed to produce high test scores in order to show a student’s academic progress which in turn, pressured teachers and students even more to do well on these tests.
The No Child Left Behind Act, a federal social program that tries to encourages after school programs should be eliminated and the extra funds given to schools to decide where it goes.