Defining the Problem: Unlike most categories measured on a global scale, the United States does not rank in the top ten countries when it comes to public education. This trend is not a new trend. The US has fluctuated up and down on its educational output depending on the President and if he made any attempt to reform the public education system. In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) in order to try and standardize schools across the country in hopes of closing the education gap between students in various states, social classes, and races. President Bush then signed the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) in 2002, which did not take away from the purpose of ESEA, but rather acted like a caveat to it.
This new legislation was intended to improve the quality of public education by requiring schools to improve their performance. It was deemed that a schools performance would be based on the usage of standardized tests that were administered to children in certain grades. The tests focus primarily on the subjects of reading, writing, and mathematics. These areas were deemed to be related to economic success by government officials. The progress made by the schools would then determine the amount of funding allocated to the institution from the federal government. As the evidence of the NCLB’s unintended consequences merges, it seems increasingly clear that, despite its good intentions and admirable goals, NCLB as currently implemented is more likely to harm than to help most of the students who are the target of aspirations, and it is more likely to undermine (some would even say destroy) the nation’s public education system than to improve it (Meier, 2004).
The federal governme...
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...tant, their needs and abilities are different. These differences show specifically why all students cannot be graded against one another. There are too many variables that would affect the outcome. Students should also have access to courses that do not particularly relate to s certain subject, but rather a life skill such as budgeting money or being educated on the credit score and its importance to the level of quality a person obtains later in life. It is no doubt that this nation has its own unique problems, but education should not be one of them if we are spending more per student than any other nation. The efforts of the government (both federal and state), the schools, the students, AND the parents need to be addressed in order to rectify not only the current situation but what is to come in terms of our nations academic state looking forward.
The United States has proven to be a world leader with their powerful military, democratic government, and stringent foreign policies. There is one category however, the United States struggles to be number one in, education. As shocking as this may sound, the public school system in America is not superior to other developing countries. I have witnessed this scandalous phenomena firsthand, engrossed in the public school system from kindergarten to freshman year of high school. The student body and the school administration is morphing into a nonproductive system with a zombie-like attitude. American students lack academic drive and curiosity compared to European and Asian countries because the standard for academic success is constantly lowered. Americans must reform the school system and change their perspective on how important an education is to the rest of the world.
Intelligence has begun to define individuals globally, but the goal of the minimum grading system is fairness and equality. Fair share grading is when all students in the class take an intended exam, but the class average score of the test is given to every student. Each student will receive the same grade even if one did better or worse than the average score. That being said it could reduce dropout rates, test anxiety, and competition between students. On the other hand, students could be affected negatively because it could lead to false self-value and unfairness to those students who study harder in order to earn higher grades. The debate continues about whether students should be separated by intelligence or be given equal grades in order
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This required each state to develop a set of standards that each child would need to know in math and reading. The NCLB also required almost all of the students to be tested annually throughout elementary and middle school grades (Webb, Metha, Jordan 2013). The act also strived that all students would test at a proficient level by 2014. The impact of this decision was that the government would be more involved than ever before in how a school taught, what the school taught, and the requirements of outcomes. The downside impact of this was that states changed the proficiency levels over the years and there has been inconsistent data given when reported. In a report with control groups it is shown that there were changes before and after implementation of the NCLB (Ladd 2010). With that information one could conclude that the act was successful and should be further pursued along with
...hanges made to improves the quality of education children will continue to suffer. The NCLB act was created with good intentions, but I questions the commitment to ensure all students receive an opportunity to achieve. Once those who have the authority to make the necessary changes to the program commit to improving the education system, the test scores of students who are in schools who support the program should begin to see improvement. This should not be an option, whether or not to fix a system that has the ability to provide children across America the chance to succeed. The most important task at hand, is to make sure that we are moving forward in education so that we are able to compete with those who are thriving education wise, such as children from abroad. Children deserve a fair chance at a bright future and education is the key to that success.
In the United States, education plays a vital role for the government. It was a major interest of our Founding Fathers in writing the Constitution because our democracy relies on an educated society. John Adams once stated, “Education for every class and rank of people down to the lowest and poorest.” Our Founding Fathers did not want education only for the upper class, but also for the lower class as well. Education is essential for the development and prosperity of our country. It has enhanced American financial and administrative leadership. In acknowledging the importance of education, the federal government took upon a grander role of financing public schools with the passage of Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) in 1965, which along the years was subjected to various reauthorizations. In 2001, the reauthorizations included No Child Left behind Act (NCLB), which required the states to set the standards for student performance as well as teacher quality. This act helps the educational advancement in schools because it improves the comprehensiveness and fairness of the American education.
The NCLB Act is now envisioned to be a solution to this ongoing argument; this act guarantees extra funding for schools in low-income areas and for all American children to receive equal education (“The No Child”, 1). As expected, the government anticipates positive results and feedbacks from all public schools in the nation, before actually giving those schools more money as a reward. In this case, the government expects every school in this country to regulate a new standardized test for students (Popham, 14). This new standardized test will be used by the government to rate schools, whether the school is ‘failing’ or not, based on their students’ performances on this test.
President Ronald Reagan once described America as, “A Nation at Risk,” He was addressing this statement to the education department thirty years ago and meant it as a wake-up call. He was aware that the United States was falling behind in education and needed to take action in order to prevent the demise of the country. Reagan correctly predicted the grim fate of America if education did not see improvement. Today, research finds that American education is failing to provide the necessary skills to succeed in college and various careers. The quality of education in America is a growing issue and every year graduate students are finding it more difficult to obtain high paying jobs and start his or her career. According to studies conducted globally, the curriculum in America is not as advanced and years behind international schools in countries such as China and Japan. There is much controversy in government over what can be done to reverse the situation in public schools but possible solutions that have been suggested are hiring more qualified teachers, more classroom time, and investing more money into education.
Ravitch justly describes No Child Left Behind as failed law. She notes that, though the intentions were good and well meaning, the results were just the opposite. Why was this? Well, as ravitch puts it, NCLB was a “punitive law based on erroneous assumptions about how to improve schools.” It assumed that reporting test scores to the public would be an effective lever for school reform, changes in governance would lead to school improvement, shaming schools that were unable to lift test scores every year (and the people who work in them) would lead to higher scores, low scores were caused by lazy teachers and lazy principals, and that higher test scores are synonymous with good education. So, what is the solution? Let us look to New Orleans.
D. Hold schools and local educational agencies accountable for improving the academic achievement of all students.
Horsey’s cartoon captures an exaggerated view of what most public school classrooms look like today. With these exaggerations, Horsey is successful in demonstrating the apparent contrast in the ways the arts are treated in comparison to how standardized tests are treated. The machines on some children’s heads shows what schools want students to think about, tests and what they need to do to pass. This illustrates the issues of the current No Child Left Behind laws and epitomizes the way schools and students think.
Why would one hypothesize a change is needed? First, international comparisons show the decline in education. Tests show American high school students rank much lower than other nations on standardized math and science tests (United States 66). On a test given in twenty-one nations, American pupils only outperformed Cyprus and South African students. These results seem more devastating when one sees Asian nations, usually ranking high in competitions, did not participate (McNamara 73). Examinations also reveal pupils' performances decline as students climb up the educational ladder toward college. "We seem to be the only country in the world whose children fall farther behind the longer they stay in school" ("Nation" 1). Yet, just comparing our students to international standards does not divulge the whole story.
The No Child Left Behind Act, a federal social program that tries to encourages after school programs should be eliminated and the extra funds given to schools to decide where it goes.
The No Child Left Behind Act, standardized testing, and the large use of technology are some of the reasons why the United States is falling behind in educational rankings. The No Child Left Behind Act was set into place with the goal to improve student performance in school, and close the achievement gap between students; as Stecher, Vernez, and Steinburg state, “When Congress passed the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), it established an ambitious goal for the nation’s states, districts, and schools: All children will be proficient in reading and mathematics by the 2013-2014 school year” (1). While the No Child Left Behind Act was implemented with good intentions, the act itself is one of the main reasons the United States is falling behind in educational rankings. One of the most common complaints from parents surrounding the No Child Left Behind Act is the weakest link factor: the weakest student sets the pace in the classroom. The weakest student takes attention away from children whose learning level is above theirs....
Students are unique individuals, and each one learns differently. As Patterson remarks, “When grading students, in the name of