The Reasons Why No Child Left Behind is Ineffective

As a classroom teacher with over thirteen years of teaching experience, I am used to changes in curriculum and laws that effect my profession. It seems that when laws are enacted that affect public education, teachers are not consulted at all. When the No Child Left Behind law was enacted, I knew immediately that it was unrealistic and had very unattainable goals.  How is it possible that 100% of all students in the United States attain proficiency in reading and math? No matter how good a teacher I may be, there are outside forces that are beyond my control that should be considered. For example, if I have five special education students and a child that is not fluent in English, is it fair to punish me if they don’t pass the test? If I have a child that missed 60 days of school, is it my fault that they fail to become proficient in reading and math?

                No Child Left Behind is ineffective.  Teachers now are spending their day focusing on preparing the students for the state test and worrying about how they will be viewed if the students fail.  Since teachers do not have control of a student’s study habits or parental participation, a lot of teachers feel that the teaching profession is out of their control. We have many students who come to school daily without any materials and go home with no books, but we are all held to the same standard. We have students with learning disabilities in our classrooms who must pass the same test as all of the other students. We also have non-English proficient students that are expected to read and pass the test. This is not fair to teachers who work hard everyday to move students to the next level of learning.

                There are several other reasons why No Child Left Behind is ineffective:

1. The law relies too heavily on standardized test scores- Teachers know that there are many ways to assess students including writing, portfolios, and projects. In fact, we are encouraged to use many types of assessments.  Standardized tests are multiple choice tests that do not adequately measure knowledge. In fact, students can be taught to learn how to answer a multiple choice test without knowing content knowledge.
2. States are in charge of creating state tests and determining pass rates- Each state has a different curriculum and different definitions of what is proficient. In some states, students are required to only get 50% of the questions correct in order to be labeled proficient. That percentage is too low, and it easy for a student to guess the answers and pass the test. Some states have created easier tests that allow more students to pass. The reading and math proficiency tests are different levels depending on the state. As a result, we do not truly know what students are proficient in reading and math.
3. Holding Teachers and Schools Responsible for Annual Yearly Progress- The law places sole responsibility of achievement on teachers and schools and no responsibility on parents. We cannot improve education without their help. Parents must make sure that their children arrive to school everyday with the necessary materials they need to learn. Parents must also make sure their children are studying. While we cannot legislate parent participation, we should find some way to rate parents and hold them accountable for their child’s academic progress. Parents should be required to attend parent teacher conferences and participate in their children’s education.
4. Schools are not created equal- Studies show that students that come from middle class and wealthy homes perform better than students who come from low income homes. The schools that middle class students attend have more resources such as grant money, better facilities, and more parent participation. It is not fair to judge teachers who work at Title I schools. Title I schools tend to have more inexperienced teachers due to high turnover.  Teachers at Title I schools must also deal with more social problems that are out of their control. 

The No Child Left Behind Act is a setup for failure. In order for students to perform to their potential, we need to hold parents, teachers, and the community accountable. The United States should create national standards in reading and math so that we can truly measure student achievement. Our schools should be equal in terms of facilities and teacher quality. Parents should be required to attend parent teacher conferences and show that they participate in their child’s education.  If we complete all of these tasks, no child would be left behind.