- In full:
- No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
- Date:
- January 2002
- Location:
- United States
- Key People:
- George W. Bush
- John Boehner
No Child Left Behind
-
What was the No Child Left Behind Act?
The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act was a U.S. federal law, created in December 2001 and signed into law in January 2002, that aimed to improve public primary and secondary schools by increasing accountability for schools, school districts, and states.
Under NCLB, states had to administer yearly reading and mathematics tests to public school students and demonstrate progress toward raising scores to a proficient level by 2014. Schools that failed to meet goals faced sanctions, including staff replacement or closure. While some praised NCLB for raising minority student test scores, others criticized it for insufficient funding, usurping state control of education, and narrowing the curriculum.
In 2015, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) replaced NCLB, rescinding some of its provisions.
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Why was the No Child Left Behind Act created?
The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act was created to improve public primary and secondary schools in the United States by increasing accountability for schools, districts, and states. NCLB was signed into law in January 2002. It required states to administer yearly reading and mathematics tests to public school students and demonstrate adequate progress toward having all students reach the proficient level by 2014. NCLB was modeled on George W. Bush's education policies as governor of Texas.
Bush touted the proposed law as a remedy for the "soft bigotry of low expectations" faced by minority children. The act's supporters cited its initial success in increasing test scores of minority students, who had historically performed at lower levels than white students.
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How did No Child Left Behind affect public schools in the United States?
The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 aimed to improve U.S. public primary and secondary schools by increasing accountability for schools, districts, and states.
NCLB mandated yearly reading and math tests for grades 3–8 and grade 10. States had to raise all students' scores to "proficient" levels by 2014. Schools that failed faced sanctions, including staff replacement or closure.
NCLB saw initial success in raising minority student test scores. However, critics said that the federal government did not provide enough funding and that the law usurped states’ control of education. They also charged that the law eroded education quality by forcing schools to "teach to the test" and neglect subjects like history, social science, and art. Annual state spending on standardized tests rose from $423 million before NCLB to almost $1.1 billion in 2008.
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What is standardized testing, and how did it relate to No Child Left Behind?
Standardized tests are administered, scored, and interpreted in a standard, predetermined manner. They often include multiple-choice questions that can be quickly graded.
The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001 mandated annual testing in reading and math in grades 3-8 and grade 10. NCLB tied school funding to standardized test results, and schools that did not demonstrate sufficient progress faced sanctions. NCLB required that 100 percent of students be proficient on state reading and math tests by 2014.
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How did No Child Left Behind aim to close achievement gaps between different groups of students?
The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act aimed to improve public primary and secondary schools and thus improve student performance through increased accountability for schools, school districts, and states.
NCLB required states to administer yearly reading and mathematics tests to public school students and demonstrate adequate progress toward raising all students' scores to "proficient" or higher levels by 2014. NCLB supporters cited its initial success in increasing minority student test scores, who had historically performed at lower levels than white students.
However, critics complained that the federal government wasn't providing enough funding to implement the law’s requirements and that it had usurped the states’ traditional control of education. Critics also charged that the law eroded the quality of education by forcing schools to "teach to the test," neglecting other curriculum aspects.
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What were some criticisms or challenges of the No Child Left Behind Act?
The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001 aimed to improve U.S. public schools through greater accountability. While some supported NCLB for raising minority students' test scores, others criticized it for several reasons.
Critics claimed that the federal government did not provide enough funding to implement the law’s requirements and that it had overstepped the states’ traditional control of education, which is protected by the Constitution. It was also argued that the law eroded education quality by forcing schools to focus on standardized tests, a practice known as “teaching to the test,” and to neglect subjects like history, social science, and art. Some opponents also regarded NCLB's goal for 100% of students to be proficient on state reading and math tests by 2014 as an impossible target.
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No Child Left Behind (NCLB), U.S. federal law aimed at improving public primary and secondary schools, and thus student performance, via increased accountability for schools, school districts, and states. The act was passed by Congress with bipartisan support in December 2001 and signed into law by Pres. George W. Bush in January 2002.
NCLB introduced significant changes in the curriculum of public primary and secondary schools in the United States and dramatically increased federal regulation of state school systems. Under the law, states were required to administer yearly tests of the reading and mathematics skills of public school students and to demonstrate adequate progress toward raising the scores of all students to a level defined as “proficient” or higher by 2014. Teachers were also required to meet higher standards for certification. Schools that failed to meet their goals would be subject to gradually increasing sanctions, eventually including replacement of staff or closure.
Supporters of NCLB cited its initial success in increasing the test scores of minority students, who historically performed at lower levels than white students. Indeed, Bush in the 2000 presidential campaign had touted the proposed law as a remedy for what he called “the soft bigotry of low expectations” faced by the children of minorities. Critics, however, complained that the federal government was not providing enough funding to implement the law’s requirements and that it had usurped the states’ traditional control of education as provided for in the Constitution. Moreover, they charged that the law was actually eroding the quality of education by forcing schools to “teach to the test” or to lower standards of proficiency while neglecting other parts of the curriculum, such as history, social science, and art. Following unsuccessful efforts in Congress to remove the 2014 proficiency deadline from NCLB, the Barack Obama administration accepted applications for waivers of the deadline in 2011. The following year waivers were granted to states that had reformed their academic standards and established plans for improving poorly performing schools and for evaluating the effectiveness of teachers and principals.
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In 2015 Obama signed into law the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which rescinded several of the most-unpopular provisions of NCLB. Under the new law, for example, states were still required to administer standardized federal tests but had greater latitude in determining how and when such tests would be given. States were also permitted to include other measures of student and school performance in their accountability systems within broad federal guidelines. ESSA encouraged, but did not require, states to develop their own teacher-evaluation systems and eliminated NCLB’s requirement that teachers in core subjects be “highly qualified.” It also permitted school districts to design their own remedies for improving poorly performing schools with technical assistance from the states.