Running head: NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND

No Child Left Behind

Natalie Mozingo
College of DuPage

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Education is important in this world. The way the students are being taught is important
also, because these students are the next generation. Students should be involved in their
education, and as society, we should want to be involved too. Every child should be taught
equally. It is important to know what is going on in the education world and there are many ways
to improve student learning. One of the ways to do that is called No Child Left Behind. No Child
Left Behind is an Act of Congress to help schools establish goals for students to accomplish.
Proposed in 2001 by President George W. Bush, No Child Left Behind was his idea of an
educational plan.
Every four years, the president comes up with a plan to give a fair education to every
student in America. Students are expected to read on the same grade level and do be able to
complete the same type of math questions. By 2014, 100% of all students should reach the same
state standards in reading and mathematics. Teachers are also supposed to be qualified and the
schools report back to the government how each student is doing. This act would test all public
students, grades kindergarten through senior year of high school on the basic skills in certain
subjects. To get the student to test, the teachers had to be highly qualified and states that ended
up passing the test would receive federal funding to improve their school. Each grade level
would have to do better than the year previously. No Child Left Behind is a reauthorization for
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 created by Lyndon B. Johnson.
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 was apart of President Johnsons
War on Poverty. It funds elementary and secondary education. One of the main purposes of this
act was to make education equal to everyone. Every student would receive the same type of
education so that it would be fair. This act tries to decrease the achievement gaps between
students by providing each student with fair education. It was first authorized in 1965 and the

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government has reauthorized the act every five years. No Child Left Behind was the newest
reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Act.
No Child Left Behind was considered to be a great plan for education. To get all students
on the same level and teachers all highly qualified was the hope. An act to leave no child behind
in testing in basic skills is the general definition of No Child Left Behind. It is a $10 billion
investment and was singed into Congress in 2002. No Child Left Behind was passed in 2002
under President George W. Bush with the goal of increasing reading and math proficiency for all
children in the United States by 2014. (Bland, 2014). Its primary purpose was to close the
achievement gap with accountability, flexibility, and choice, so that no child is left behind.
(Trolian & Fouts, 2011). The test is given to each student and they are tested in math, English,
science and social studies. Since it is a federal test, every student gets the same exact one. If
students score high enough on the test, the specific school revives federal funding for the school.
That makes it difficult to teach and puts a lot of pressure on the teachers. They know that if the
students do not score well on the test and do not meet the standards, their school does not get
funding. Now, teachers are told, teach to the test.
Teaching to the test is changing the way teachers teach. Instead of teaching through life
lessons, teachers are now told to teach specifically to what subjects are on the test. This is no
more learning through life lessons, but they are now drilling the students on these subjects to
score high on the tests. Teaching to the test reduces teacher creativity, innovative instruction, and
the use of varied teaching strategies for diverse students, and teacher and student motivation.
(Smyth, 2008). People become teachers because they want to change a childs life. They want to
make a difference and teach these students new lessons. Teaching to the test is taking away from
that. Not only does No Child Left Behind impact teachers, but students and the school itself are

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also affected.
Students are impacted the most by the No Child Left Behind Act. Student learning is
affected because teachers are doing things differently. They dont teach the same anymore.
Instead its all drilling students about what is on the test and not life skills. Many of the best
teachers will transfer from low-performing schools to higher-performing schools, leaving behind
students with the greatest need. (Smyth, 2008). Teachers are going to schools were the test

scores are good and the school is receiving funds, which are leaving the students that
need help the most behind. Students have more pressure to do well on the test. They already
feel stressed and pressured when it comes to taking a test for a regular class, but when they take a
nationalized test they feel more stressed. Students know they have to do well in order to pass.
The pressure to graduate is also bringing pressure to these students. They know that in order to
graduate, they have to do well on the tests. Students also realize that if the tests arent good and
they dont reach the requirements, their school does not get funding. No Child Left Behind also
impacts schools. Each school gets federal funding for doing well on the standardized test. The
better a school does, the more money they receive. This only applies to public schools grades K12. Each school has to give the same test each year. Every student receives the same test and
each grade level has to do better than the year previously before. There are other benefits for a
school besides federal funding. Schools can receive grants for teacher training. Districts can
retrain quality teachers and give bonuses to teachers who teach math and science. Schools can
also receive grants for reading instruction, which is to help every child learn how to read
scientifically based research.
Under the No Child Left Behind Act, states can receive waivers. States that agreed to
raise standards and adopt education ideas were granted waivers through The Obama

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Administration. These schools would have teacher evaluations that are tied to student test scores.
(Klein, 2014). By 2014, every student is supposed to be testing on the same grade level in math
and reading. States that did not do that would be considered failing. That is why they are given
waivers so they can adopt better teaching qualities in order to fulfill the standards. (Motoko,
2014). There are currently 43 states, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico that are
receiving waivers.
No Child Left Behind has affected every school and district in Illinois. According to the
Illinois State Board of Education, Illinois continues to supports the acts overall purpose - to
ensure that children in every classroom enjoy the benefits of well-prepared teachers, researchbased curriculum and safe learning environments. The board of education has already seen the
benefits in the classroom with more engaged learners and instructional practices. In the spring of
2014, the Illinois Board of Education received a No Child Left Behind waiver. In exchange for a
state-developed plan to prepare students for college and careers, focus aid on the neediest
students, track and report more meaningful student and school academic data and support
effective teaching and leadership, Illinois was able to have a waiver. (ISBE, 2014). The waiver is
effective from July 1, 2014 through the 2014-2015 school year.
According to the Illinois State Board of Education, there are three important things to
know about the No Child Left Behind Flexibility Waiver. The first is that the waiver offers a
road map for to ensure all students are on track to do well in college and a career. The second
part has a new Multiple Measures Index, which will show student achievement and progress. It
will show the progress through college and career readiness, student growth, and closing gaps to
improve graduation rates. The last part of the waiver includes letting the school district
themselves make more decisions. The school will decide on programs to determine the funding

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of the grant they can receive.

No Child Left Behind began impacting education when it was proposed on January 23,
2001. It was something new to the education world and involved a lot of changes. The United
States House of Representatives passed the bill on May 23, 2001 and the United States Senate
passed it on June 14, 2001. On January 8, 2002 President George W. Bush signed it into office.
All the significant people involved are teachers, students, and school districts because they are
the ones impacted by this act. The significance of No Child Left Behind is to really leave no
child left behind in education. Since 2007, almost 71% of schools have reduced instruction time
in subjects such as history, arts, language, and music to provide more time and resources to
mathematics and English. (Grey, 2010).
All students deserve to be treated equally, and No Child Left Behind tries to make it that
way. No student should fail or be left behind others in the same grade level as them. Just like No
Child Left Behind is a reform of the Elementary and Secondary Act of 1965, President Obama
wants to reform No Child Left Behind, which is why he proposed Race to the Top in 2009. The
Illinois State Board of Education states, Illinois was awarded a $42.8 grant from Race to the
Top in December of 2011 for being a finalist in the first two rounds of the competition. Race to
the Top is just like No Child Left Behind, by giving grants to school districts that accelerate
education programs to increase student achievement. No Child Left Behind has tried over the
years to create a way to improve education for students. It is import in the education world, and
we should know what students today are being taught in school, and how it is improving
education.

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7
Reference Page

Bland, A. (2014). No Child Left Behind: Why Racebased Achievement Goals Violate The Equal
Protecton Clause. Berkeley La Raza Law Journal , 2459, 80.
Klein, A. (2014, October 6). NLCB Waivers: A State-By-State Breakdown. Retrieved November
1, 2014, from Education Week:
http://www.edweek.org/ew/section/infographics/nclbwaivers.html
Miller, W., & Lassmann, M. (2013). What Are We Teaching Our Students. Education , 134,
167-171.
Motoko, R. (2014, August 28). Oklahoma Loses Waiver From No Child Left Behind Provisions.
Retrieved November 1, 2014, from New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/29/education/oklahoma-common-core-no-child-leftbehind.html?_r=0
No Child Left Behind (NCLB). (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2014, from Illinois State Board of
Education: http://www.isbe.net/nclb/
Smyth, T. (2008). Who Is No Child Left Behind Leaving Behind? Clearing House , 81, 133-137.
Trolian, T., & Fouts, K. (2011). No Child Left Behind: implications For College Student
Learning. About Campus , 16, 2-7.
What The No Child Left Behind Law Means For Your Child. (2014). Retrieved November 1,
2014, from Great Schools: http://www.greatschools.org/improvement/qualityteaching/61-no-child-left-behind.gs?page=all