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AEP Online |
Fifth Anniversary of NCLB Not A Celebration to SomeFive years have passed since the landmark No Child Left Behind version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act was passed. This year also marks the date for reauthorizing the law, which is catalyzing widespread debate about the future of the bill. Critics and supporters agree that the central principle of the law - ensuring that all students regardless of race, disability or class should be proficient in math and reading when they graduate from high school - is sound. Now, both critics and supporters are trying to determine what in the law needs to be changed and if student achievement can really be improved under the NCLB mandates. Mike Petrilli, Vice President of Programs and Policy at education think tank the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation and an NCLB supporter, recently stated, "I've gradually and reluctantly come to the conclusion that NCLB as enacted is fundamentally flawed and probably beyond repair." In his weekly bulletin, the Education Gadfly, Petrilli goes on to explain that there are both structural and enforcement flaws in the bill that will take more than tweaking to fix. Instead, he supports weighted student funding to address funding inequities and national standards to come up with an accurate accounting of achievement. He also believes we can do away with mandates on teacher quality, sanctions and guaranteed school choice. Monty Neill, chairman of the Forum on Education Accountability (FEA), echoes these sentiments: "The goal of NCLB is reasonable - the structure and way it's been implemented have been a disaster." However, unlike Petrilli, Neill maintains the law can be effective, albeit with the following significant changes. -Replacing standardized tests with the use of multiple achievement measures -Authorizing the use interventions that result in improved student
achievement instead of sanctions -Increasing NCLB funding to cover a substantial percentage of the costs that states and districts will incur In comments reported in the Washington Post, Secretary Spellings said she believes the law is fundamentally sound and is rejecting calls that would overhaul the legislation, instead favoring the "perfect and tweak" approach. As a measure of success, USED points to results from the recent NAEP test, which reflect a larger increase in proficiency between 1999 and 2004 than the previous 28 years combined. At the same time the total number of students who are proficient is low. Only 41 percent of white fourth graders are proficient in reading and only 13 percent of black fourth graders are proficient in mathematics. The results of the 2004 NAEP were released last July. Questions, ideas, or in need of more information? Please contact Stacey Pusey at 856-241-7772. |
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