What should be done?

There obviously needs to be something done about NCLB and what it has done to the public school system in America. The AYP standards that schools are held to are almost impossible for some schools to meet so they end up getting stuck in a vicious cycle that involves teachers getting fired and even schools getting shut down. Moreover, the law unfairly forces inner city schools and suburban schools to be held to the same standards even though the two types of schools have nowhere close to the same budget. If these issues are addressed the law can actually help American students achieve what they are expected to be able to.

Some kind of AYP standards are crucial for any law that is made in order to keep schools accountable for their students. AYP standards are an easy way to see if a school is on the right track or if they are struggling to keep up. Currently, if a school fails to meet AYP standards they are punished severely. It does not make any sense to punish a school for not being able to keep up. When a school fails to meet AYP they should receive extra funding or support from the district. Also, there is no reason to fire teachers or administrators just because they cannot keep up with the AYP standards. The students learn to trust their teachers and administrators so when new ones are brought in to replace them it makes it even harder for the students.

It is good to close the gap between inner city schools and suburban schools but there is a more effective way than holding both types of schools to the same standards. This should be done eventually but it was impossible to do overnight. The best thing to do would be to gradually build up these standards until they are equal. For example, we could start holding both types of students accountable to the same standards starting with the graduating class of 2023. This would mean that every graduating class before the class of 2023 should have some standards to meet, but they could be adjusted according to the amount of funding and past test results.

Effects on ESL students

Although No Child Left Behind has hurt the public school system in America, it has done some things that have helped students. The main benefit the law has provided to students is the extra support the law forces schools to give to their English as a second language students. The Guardian newspaper reports, “Because NCLB requires such students to be tracked as a subgroup, educators now weigh more seriously what is working, what is not working, and what could work with [ESL students].” The extra attention that these ESL students receive has helped many of them get to the appropriate level.

ESL students are unique and require extra attention until they learn the language at an proficient level. NCLB wasn’t necessarily designed for ESL students, but they have benefited more than any other group since the law was introduced. If and when the law gets reformed, keeping something similar to the ESL programs that NCLB calls for currently will be crucial to the new law’s success.

AYP Standards

If a school fails to meet the Adequate Yearly Progress standards that No Child Left Behind calls for the school faces many possible setbacks. For instance, if a school does not meet these AYP standards for two consecutive years the school is required to create an improvement plan for the upcoming year that includes teacher mentorship programs and specialized tutoring. If the school fails for three consecutive years they are required to provide supplemental educational services to their students. Moreover, if a school misses AYP standards four years in a row the district takes control and replaces staff, implements a new curriculum, appoints outside experts to advise the school, and also extends the school year or school day. Ultimately if the school does not meet the AYP standards five consecutive years the school is shut down and reopened as a charter school with a completely new staff including the principal.

These consequences for missing AYP standards put a ton of pressure on teachers and staff in schools. Because there is so much stress involved with teaching under No Child Left Behind, teachers turn to different options to try to meet the standards. For example, teachers have developed techniques like teaching to the test, a technique that focuses more on the material that will be tested instead of the information that the students should know. These techniques take away from actual learning and proves to be detrimental to the classroom.

Teaching to the test is one of the worst things that NCLB has caused in schools. Teachers even know that they are doing it but they don't stop because they are too worried about losing their jobs. In an article from the New York Times, a high school teacher named Becky Karnes reported that she recently learned new techniques to teach her students. When asked if she would use them she responded by saying, "Oh, no, There's no time to do creative writing and develop authentic voice. That would take weeks and weeks. There are three essays on the state test and we start prepping right at the start of the year. We have to teach to the state test." Becky Karnes is a perfect example of how AYP standards and NCLB have hurt the public school system in America.

The AYP standards need to be addressed to make the law more suitable for all schools. For example, if a school is performing at a high level they are still required to show progress every year. This makes it very difficult for the schools that are actually doing a good job with preparing their students. Also, the schools that are struggling obviously need help. If the schools continue to fail they should receive extra funding to make sure they can provide extra tutoring to their students.

Inner City vs. Suburban schools

No Child Left Behind has many requirements for schools regardless of their location. This is important because one of the laws major goals was to close the gap between inner city schools and suburban schools. Although making both types of schools similar was one of the main goals of the law when it was originally introduced, the only way to fix the problems that the law has caused is to allow the requirements for inner city schools and suburban schools to be different.

Suburban schools obviously have an advantage over inner city schools because of funding. For example, according to bestplaces.net Philadelphia spends $5971 per student per year in their public schools while in Norristown, PA, a suburb of Philadelphia that is only 20 miles away, spends $9215 per student. How is it fair for schools that can only spend $6000 per student per year to be held to the same standards as schools that have over $9000 to spend on their student?

The answer is simple. It isn’t fair. Something has to be done to fix this backwards system. The inner city schools have less funding and more students yet they are supposed to figure out how to provide special tutoring programs to help struggling students. Concurrently, suburban schools have less students and more available funds. There is no way for the inner city schools to meet the same standards as the suburban schools yet No Child Left Behind forces them to or they face the consequences.