No Child Left Behind: Is It Effective?

For the past few years, since the “No Child Left Behind” act was signed by former president, George W. Bush in 2002, schools have started focusing and investing more time on core classes such as English, Math, Science, and Social Studies, and funding little to no money for electives. The question of whether schools should start including electives into their curriculum for the students is not just merely an academic importance, but it is also intrinsically linked to the discovery and positive development of a student’s identity as an ambitious person.

Arguments and controversies have been circulating, fueling debates in regards to this topic. Teachers, parents, and government officials have had their opinions towards this and the educational system in general. Some argued that schools have a tight budget that won’t be able to cover extra classes, and others argue that the extra classes are not needed as long as the core subjects are available. Regardless of what they say, students should receive a well-rounded education, and schools should fund more electives to ensure the student’s success in their future.

Ever since the Bush administration enforced the act of “No Child Left Behind” in 2002, we have become too accustomed to the term that we have thrown it around loosely and forgotten its original and intentional purpose. The bill states: “the purpose of this title is to ensure that all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to high quality education and reach, at minimum, proficiency on challenging state academic achievement standards and state academic assessment.” As it is already known that every student is required to take a standard test, testing their knowledge and proficiency on the core subjects: E...

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... on the standardized tests which caused the schools to be in the verge of a shutdown. Another of their minor reasons is that they can save money and fund more money on the core electives to further improve the standardized test scores.

From the statistics that we’ve explored, it is safe to say that schools view their students as “strong test takers” and not as individuals with strengths and weaknesses. Further emphasizing on the fact that if schools acknowledge the student’s strengths and weaknesses, they will become strong test takers. Electives help improve a student’s development academically and personally, it also lowers the risk and chances of people losing jobs and/or getting sent home. That is why the primary reason of schools should include more electives in their curriculum to ensure a student’s well-roundedness, and success now and in the future.