No Child Left Behind Program

Most educators and parents would desire an educational system where all students receive a balanced education that will afford all students the ability to compete in our ever changing society. This desire is great among students who live in economically challenged environments and those who attend poor schools. These students are at most risk of receiving a a proper education. This is partly due to lack of funding, and the inability for those poor schools to afford highly qualified teachers. Much controversy stems from this issue, poor schools not being able to afford highly trained teachers, students not having access to improved curriculums and extraordinary dropout rates. In an effort to combat these issues, the Bush administration implemented an act that purported to help schools to receive necessary funding for qualified teachers and to close the racial and ethnic gaps, known as the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA). However, the NCLBA failed to deliver on its promises and left already struggling schools and children in disarray attempting to reach government mandates rather than ensuring a balanced education for every student.

The NCLBA was enacted into law in 2002, with the notion in mind that poor schools would gain the ability access to highly qualified teachers and programs by reaching an Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). The AYP is a standard set by each state that schools must meet in order to receive the government funding. The AYP uses standardized tests scores and graduation rates as its basis in determining whether or not a school will be deemed as well performing, in need of improvement or deemed as failing. Using the standards set by the AYP, the government has the ability to fund schools that perform well an...

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...anguage instruction for limited English proficient and immigrant students. 107th Congress, 1st Session.

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Dietz, S., & Center on Education, P. (2010). How Many Schools Have Not Made Adequate Yearly Progress under the No Child Left Behind Act? Center on Education Policy.

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