Children Are The Future

No Child Left Behind is a program that was implemented by President Bush in the early 2000’s. NCLB is a program that gives every child the opportunity to improve in school and life. It holds schools responsible for every child’s level of achievement, regardless of the academic aspects of a child’s life but also the situational and environmental factors. There are many factors that affect the child and their learning, but it is the responsibility of the teacher to meet the diverse needs of their class. This program pushed for more standardized annual testing, private tutoring for children, progress reports, teacher evaluations, and special grants that were given to schools who showed improvement in test scores.
There have been many debates as to how affective the program has been in practice and whether or not it is actually able to reduce student failure and raise the level of academic skills within a school. There are many people who believe that NCLB is an impractical way of measuring student success due to the diversity within a school district and further more each campus. Diversity includes ethical, racial, and socioeconomic diversity among each student and their family. Some people believe that NCLB was created merely for schools to receive more funding if they produce higher test scores. Critics continue to point out that by raising the importance of standardized testing, it will increase the pressure on the teacher and students. Some even blame student dropout rates on the program. Those with negative viewpoints became harsh critics of NCLB; all the while, this program was successfully saving children from giving up because they were “different” from other students.
Supporters of NCLB truly see the benefits that this program has made within our nation. NCLB slowly started changing the outlook of many students as they realized teachers and the government all yearned for their individual success in their academic careers. Many enthusiasts believe that this program can further allow each school to raise their scores, heighten the level of knowledge within the teaching community, and impact each student’s educational background and future. Schools have begun to focus on teaching strategies and skills that allow for each student to be able to better problem solve and apply their knowledge. As schools have increased the importance of testing and education, children are encouraged and inspired to work harder in order to develop a successful future regardless of their race, gender, or social class.
No Child Left Behind is beneficial to the community and the child. Granted, teachers have been put under unnecessary pressure by their principals, administration, and state; the No Child Left Behind program is one that pushes for academic excellence among all students, which forces the faculty to constantly push themselves. Educators are lifelong learners that must attend professional developments yearly in order to improve and enhance the teaching abilities. NCLB has implemented that all teachers must be evaluated annually. A series of unscheduled evaluations done randomly throughout the school year has increased the importance for teachers to remain engaged and passionate for their profession. Teachers are now more versed in the subject in which they are assigned to teach. It is the duty of the principal and admin to ensure that teachers are upholding a professional standard and understand the importance of their multi-category evaluation. Upon receiving an evaluation, teachers must be willing to improve and make corrections in the needed categories. Schools have begun to be shut down if they are found to be inadequate and the improvements are not seen within a given time period. Teachers, obviously do not want to lose their jobs, so they encourage children to try harder and “show what they know”, especially when it comes to the standardized testing at the end of each school year. Standardized testing is intended to analyze the student’s academic capabilities but also the educators teaching capabilities. This testing has begun to cause stress in the reflection of a teacher’s ability due to the unrealistic testing expectations of a student. This testing is a contributor of the annual evaluations that test the competency of the teachers and schools success.
NCLB has been around for over 10 years encouraging children to strive to be all they can and ensure that they learn the curriculum being taught. Students are understanding and retaining the knowledge while teachers are striving to improve upon themselves. Whether you are a supporter of No Child Left Behind or not, changes are being made every year to implement new and better things for the children. Every child has the right to succeed no matter their gender, race, or social status.