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.