How will the No Child Left Behind Act really help our students and teachers?

When the No Child Left Behind Act was signed into law in 2002, a lot issues within the education sector were supposed to be resolved. The NCLB was meant to improve the primary and secondary schools in the U.S. by raising the educational standards and requirements while, at the same time, making schools and their respective states more accountable for what was being taught in the classroom and how well the students were learning it.

The NCLB Act is supposed to improve local standards, raise teacher and student accountability, improve the school systems for minority learners, and raise the overall quality of education.
However, in just the past seven years since the NCLB was enacted into law, the funds allocated for this Act have suddenly began to waver and the stipulations for such things as standardized tests have also began falter.

The intentions behind NCLB Act were great. However, since its creation, the wayward economy has cut not only consumer spending, but the local state budgets for education as well. Without appropriate funding, it is difficult to set the standards for a better education.

The NCLB gives parents the ability to choose what school they want their child to attend if their child's school doesn't meet certain AYP requirements for two years or more. The NCLB also requires that schools increase their performance while teaching high need subjects in better ways that will benefit all students in the classrooms. The NCLB encourages schools to stimulate more parental involvement. The NCLB Act does have its drawbacks. Some states have been blamed for 'fixing' the standardized tests that were designed to track the student's educational progress in each state. Some will argue that the NCLB provides incentives that rule out low performing students of a certain race or culture. Still others point out that the NCLB provides incentives against the gifted student by not allowing grade advancement and more challenging courses. The NCLB has been blamed for the loss of some courses in the areas of art and physical education due to the increase in English, math, and science classes.

It seems that the NCLB is a two way street. Depending on which way you're traveling, your viewpoint of the benefits for each student will vary. Some hope that because the U.S. is now under the leadership of Barack Obama and a new cabinet of administration, the NCLB will be approved for further funding. The NCLB has been around long enough now to show its inadequacies as well as its positive traits that can benefit children in the public school system.

The NCLB will be greatly dependent on the outcome of our present economic situation. The NCLB has the opportunity to greatly impact the institution of public education, and in turn, greatly benefit Americans and their children.