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Standardized testing in education
Consequences of the no child left behind act
Consequences of the no child left behind act
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Rather than helping the country’s future, the government’s input is becoming damaging to the US’s education system. President George Bush enacted the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001 with the help of American voters. The Act creates a level playing field for all students in order to produce greater success in the classroom. With the use of standardized testing and regulated curriculum, the American Government has insight to see which schools are more justified to receive education funding, but this fails our forefathers. The American Dream gives equal opportunity for success, but letting the government control the school systems in place of the state takes away from that dream. The government is putting limits on learning in order to push those that are below average to meet the national criteria, but that requires a greater amount of effort on an already overwhelmed teacher. …show more content…
In less fortunate areas, test scores might not reach national standards. Ranking determined by testing matters most to the government, “The test-taker’s scores are compared to a predetermined norm group to discriminate among them and determine rank” (Solley). Lower scores result in less government funding, which does not fix anything. While public schools are falling apart, private schools remain untouched and are even thriving. The government leaves its public schools stranded with consistent low grade marks because of the lack of funding. Private schools are becoming more powerful, “…No Child Left Behind is designed to punish schools and to demonstrate that private is best” (Hobart). The majority of students in the US attend public schools, so by favoring the minority (private schools), the government is damaging our nation’s backbone. Public schools remain one of the most important parts of America’s future and should receive more positive attention rather than
She realized that choice and accountability were not the answer, but that curriculum and instruction were more viable solutions to America’s educational dilemma. Ravitch suggests that to abandon public schools is to abandon the institution that supports our concepts of democracy and citizenship and to the promise of American life (Ravitch, 2011, p. 12-14). The idea of school choice is rooted in Milton Friedman’s essay concerning the government’s role in education. Friedman asserted that society should support and contribute to the maximum freedom of the individual or the family. He maintained that the government should provide vouchers to help support parents financially on their children’s education, which parents could use at the school of their choosing; so long as the school met set standards. Therefore, this creation of choice would stimulate competition, which Friedman believed would increase the development and improvement of nonpublic schools, as well as, create a variety of school options (Ravitch, 2011, p. 115). As a result of the choice movement, the public received three versions of school choice: voucher schools, private schools, and charter schools. Each of these schools receives public funding, but do not operate as traditional public schools, and are not managed by a government agency (Ravitch, 2011, p. 121). Charter schools became the most popular choice of this new
The improvements made by public schools should not be discounted, either. While there are certainly schools and school districts that remain very troubled those administrators and schools boards are not standing idly by. There are continuous improvements in such schools, and there needs to be even more. Taking money from them when efforts are being made to improve their condition will clearly on hinder such improvement. Private schools are and should remain an option for all parents, but our society mustn't waver when it comes to supporting our public schools.
Are children really being sent to school to get a rigorous education? This is a tough question. Children in America are being sent through a public education system that reeks of political and corporate manipulation. This design attempts to force every child into the same mold, which does not let the individual child express themselves, be recognized for their personal strengths, or get support for that with which they struggle. There are many things that continue to contribute to the degradation of education in America, and some of these are private investments in charter schools, No Child Left Behind (NCLB), and an overemphasis on standardized testing.
Education is the foundation of American society. It empowers the youth of America to become the successful leaders this country needs for the future. Education has been one of America’s top priorities since 1965, when the Elementary and Secondary Education Act was passed. Now, education is controlled by the No Child Left Behind Act, which was launched in January 8, 2002. This act was passed with intentions from the government to provide Americans with a more superior education system. However, The No Child Left Behind Act carried many flaws which were left unseen to a vast majority of the public. This act limited American students by not allowing them to demonstrate their full academic potentials while proceeding in school. While the act was still fairly fresh, there was already evidence to prove that it had already gotten off to a bad beginning. For the crucial math and science courses, statistics showed minimal improvements which had begun around the time period in which the No Child Left Behind Act was passed. The act was also supported by a number of educators who voiced themselves by testifying against having the right to teach at their own free will. Teachers across America claimed that because of this new act, they felt a constant heaviness upon their shoulders from the state government to “Teach the test.”
NAEP is part of the U.S. Department of Education, it is central to any discussion of whether American students and the public school they attend are doing well or badly.(Ravitch, Reign of Error, chapter 5, p44) Test scores are not the only way to measure education, but also to the extent that they matter and improving. The NCLB is gone now and the common core instead, because there were many disadvantages. For example, the result was disappointing, schools’ foundation was lacking and schools neglected students’ personality and accountability leaving millions of children behind and did not eliminate poverty or close the achievement gap. However, it had some reform on other aspects, I will talk about in the following paragraphs. Due to all students
There are new types of public charter schools that are another form of opportunity inequality because they are almost a public and private school blended together. These charter schools are becoming more popular and their number of students is growing exponentially. A website called uncommonschools.org defines what a charter school is and how their different when they write
Almost state has gained federal funding from accumulating the test data from all of their schools (Ravitch 107). Data collected from multiple choice questions determines the intelligence of every student and their teachers. The test data is tracked throughout their lifetime in relation to their test scores, graduation dates and other statistics companies such as Amazon and Microsoft use to evaluate different groups (by age, ethnicity, etc) as a whole (Ravitch 107). Ravitch claims there are many problems with this, mainly, tests do not measure character, spirit, heart, soul, and potential (112). Not everyone is the same, and just because one may be weak in math or writing doesn’t mean they’re not smart, resourceful individuals with much to share with the world. For schools to be even seen with a slight amount more than just their test scores, they have to be in great standings with their students’ average test results. The government’s intense focus on test results hurts schools’ ability to be a well-rounded school immensely. In contrast to federal’s pinpoint focus on what students learn, educated consumers desire their kids to have a full, balanced, and rich curriculum (Ravitch 108). Schools need to be more than housing for test-takers. The Education Board may claim students’ proficiency in their testing makes them better people, prepares them for college, and ultimately, the workforce. What they are
In 2002, President George W. Bush passed the “No Child Left Behind Act” which tied in schools’ public funding to standardized tests and enforced the tests in elementary and high schools every year by state education departments. This law also began to put more emphasize on standardized tests which has diminished our level of education and the law “made standardized test scores the primary measure of school quality” (Diane Ravitch 28). Bush hoped this law motivated more students to do well on these exams and teachers to help them prepare better, but it ended up hurting many schools in the process. These exams like the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) should not play such a prominent role in schooling and the government should not make tests the main focal point.
Even in this time of struggle, with billions of dollars going towards various war efforts overseas, America still has managed to keep taxpayer investments in education higher than that of funds for national defense (U.S Department of Education). In the 2004-05 school year, there was an estimated amount of 536 billion dollars set aside from taxpayer investment for education purposes. Without a doubt, education is a priority for the American government, and if these funds are used in the correct way, there is no reason why each and every kid in the United States shouldn’t be getting a quality education. However, the organization of the financial system is flawed, funds are not handled proportionately at the state level; rather, this system favors the wealthier districts and hands more funds to them while the less wealthier districts are handed a smaller pool of funds. This really affects America’s quality of education, which also reflects upon how America fairs on the world stage when it comes to competition in education with other countries. The disorganization of funds in the United States can be seen in the Hoover City School district, which has bought every student in that district an iPad for use in school. The first problem with this is that this school district does not even have a viable bus system that can transport students to and from school. Secondly, not even 20 miles from this district lies the Birmingham City School district where a little more than half the students are graduating, compared to Hoover City Schools where a bit more than 90 percent of the students are graduating. If anything, the state should be working towards improving educational standards in lower-income communities rather than debating on the log...
Proper school funding is one of the keys to having a successful school. Americans believe that funding is the biggest problem in public schools. School improvements revolve around funding. There needs to be funding not only in the successful schools but also the schools that aren’t doing as well. In documentary, Waiting for Superman, it talks about how smaller class sizes will help students. Funding is what will help the smaller class sizes. State funding mechanisms are subject to intense political and economic scrutiny (Leonard). Studies have shown that funding is inversely related to accreditation levels (Leonard). School funding needs to be increased, but there must be accountability as well.
In society, education can be seen as a foundation for success. Education prepares people for their careers and allows them to contribute to society efficiently. However, there is an achievement gap in education, especially between Hispanics and Blacks. In other words, there is education inequality between these minorities and white students. This achievement gap is a social problem in the education system since this is affecting many schools in the United States. As a response to this social problem, the No Child Left Behind Act was passed to assist in closing this achievement gap by holding schools more accountable for the students’ progress. Unsuccessful, the No Child Left Behind Act was ineffective as a social response since schools were pushed to produce high test scores in order to show a student’s academic progress which in turn, pressured teachers and students even more to do well on these tests.
Special education is the practice of educating students with special educational needs by addressing their individual needs and differences. This process involves the individually planned arrangements of teaching procedures, adapted materials and equipment as well as accessible settings designed to help students with special needs to achieve a higher level of education and success. Usually parents that who has a child with special needs would like for their child to receive a quality education. People understand when talking about or describing a child with special needs that the child has educational needs, or has learning difficulties or disabilities for instance it is harder for them to learn than other children.
For some parents, deciding on a school for their children can be a difficult decision. Many parents do not spend much time thinking about it; they place their children into the local school designated by where they live. Others attended a private school themselves and found that it was a beneficial experience and therefore want the same for their kids. But which is better: private schools or public schools? While there are many advantages and disadvantages in each (nothing is going to be absolutely perfect), we are going to focus on the benefits of an education in the public school system, or in other words, schools funded by the government that are for anyone to attend. An accurate definition found in the Encyclopedia of American Education (1996) states: “Any elementary or secondary school under control of elected or appointed civil authority, supported entirely by public tax monies, and, with few exceptions, open to all students in a designated district, free of any tuition charges.” (780) These include elementary, secondary schools and vocational schools. Public schools are a good choice in education because they provide a wide variety of subjects to study, are diverse in their student body, available to everyone, yet can sometimes be misunderstood.
Many people in today’s society believe it’s wise to send their children to private schools. In making the decision on whether to put children in public or private schools, they look to four main factors: curriculum, class size, the graduation rate, and cost. When people have to pay for something, their first thought is, “Will I be getting what I’m paying for?” With a private school education, the amount you have to pay is usually well worth it. Public schools offer diversity. Here students can find people who are just like them and can associate better. Wherever you live, you have to send your child to the closest school. There’s no choice on what public school you can send your child to, whereas for private schools you can pick to send your child there. It’s not an easy choice for parents to decide, but many factors point toward a guarantee that a good education would be achieved, which is most important.
Private schools should be abolished because education should allow for equal opportunities for all students. Education is supposed to provide better chances of success for the student. Students that attend a state funded school faces a disadvantage as soon as they graduate from secondary school and apply for college.{ talk about private school to college ration} There have been reports about college being biased in the selection process when choosing between state funded and privately funded school applicants. Many educators would agree that a privately funded education is typically more beneficial than a state funded education. “It seems silly to propose scrapping a system of education that provides positive results and successful results.” (CITE DEBATEWISE.ORG) The system should not be scrapped but instead needs to be inputted into the public school system. It should be put into the public school sector because it is not fair for a wealthier individual to able to obtain a better education just becaus...