by Angela S. Young

Created on: February 25, 2007   Last Updated: July 25, 2008

The "No Child Left Behind" act is, in fact, leaving many children behind! In a world where education is focused on making sure everyone, no matter what their ability or disability will be educated sounds like a noble adventure. In the trenches of the classroom, however, it just doesn't work. Add to that the fact that the measurement of a child's not being left behind is his/her ability to pass rigorous proficiency tests. This also sounds good but doesn't work in the real world.

I have three wonderful, intelligent children, and all three of them were on IEPs (Individual Education Programs) in school for different reasons. IEPs are meant to make sure a child who needs extra help gets it, but that is not always what happens when a child is put on one. First, the child is then labeled for the rest of their school career. Everyone knows they are on the IEP, so the other children may tease them and teachers may learn not to expect as much from them.

Second, instead of helping the child learn the material and reach their full potential, what happens is that the material or the expectations are often "dumbed down", allowing the child to pass even though they have not fully mastered the material. His/her IEP resource person may even begin giving answers and "helping" the child with his/her lesson. I'm not saying they mean to do this, or that their heart is not in the right place, but we place them in an untenable position in which the child must succeed. The time frame for success also pushes them to "help" in ways that aren't really helpful.

With the advent of NCLB and all the additional paper work required, teachers just don't have time to really teach any more. They are expected to jump through certain hoops, but not given the tools to do so. What happens is "teaching to the test" which is a form of cheating. No longer can teachers explore curriculum, they must prepare for the tests that will determine funding for their school district. They are no longer given a choice, and as a teacher, I know that teachers are even more frustrated about this than any one else.

I went into the teaching field because I wanted to help children learn and reach their full potential. This is what education should be about. But with the advent of NCLB there is very little room left for this ideal to exist. Standards are not the problem, standards are good. The problem is in how the standards are implemented and measured. Do I have a better solution? No, I don't, but putting the teaching

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>