by Toni Doswell

Created on: January 19, 2009

The original intent of "No Child Left Behind" was to spur administrators, teachers, parents and students on to higher heights. It acknowledged that our children were not functioning on academic levels approrpriate to their ages and time spent in school. Its underlying assumption was that schools could do better. This was a very correct assessment, however, the tools needed to help schools rise to higher levels was not in place at the same time that the mandate came forth. As a result, some children were left behind, and perhaps there will always be a certain set of children left behind where the tools and financial support does not exist.

Children who have been left behind include those in large classrooms, schools that have rapid turnovers in staff, buildings that are inadequate to meet modern needs, schools who have teachers who are overworked and underpaid, as well as schools who continue to harrass students with "achievement" prodding them to learn only concepts which will be tested on statewide assessments.

Education, if properly conducted, will include everything from staff, materials, safety measures, nutrition, decent buildings, family and community involvement, adequate funding, long and short range planning and continual upgrading and evaluation. If just these components are in place, children will and can learn and no child will be truly left behind. Each year there children will demonstrate growth and progress, even special education students.

The goal states that no child would be left behind, however, many schools do not make yearly progress due to the above mentioned factors not being in place. Schools are like a puzzle. When any part of the puzzle is missing, the puzzle is incomplete. When any part of the school is ill functioning, children suffer directly or indirectly. For instance, if a roof continues to leak, when it rains buckets will be seen in the halls and classrooms. Sometimes floods occur, and mold accumulates, thus creating later problems among children who have allergies. If even the janitor is not doing his/her job, the rooms are left in a non-ready state and children can sense that there is a lack of cleanliness. This signals to them that their presence in the building is not important enough to keep the place clean. The little things, such as no funding for paper and supplies can keep a school on the low end. The lack of safety in a school is also a sure turn off to students' progess. They fear to come to school, and schoool is then

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