The No Child Left Behind Act is failing to help failing students because it is flawed in several important ways. It is trying to achieve the wrong goals in the wrong ways by placing full responsibility on the wrong people. In short it lacks credibility, accountability, clarity and reality.
Credibility: The 2008 progress report by NCLB is glowing with statements such as "Math scores for 4th and 8th graders rose to record heights in 2007, according to the nation's report card (NAEP);" "Reading scores rose for 4th-graders to record highs in 2007"
These statements are true, but misleading. The same could be said for any year since 1990 for math scores.
Both 4th and 8th grade math scores have risen slowly, but steadily since 1990. The average annual gain for fourth graders between 1990 and 2001 was 1.58 points, same as the average annual gain from 2001 through 2007. For 8th graders, the average annual gain for both time periods was .84 points
Fourth grade reading scores have bounced around more, but the awful truth is 68% of 4th grade students can only read at a basic level or below.
Moreover, gains made in the 4th and 8th grades aren't sticking. Since 1960, NAEP scores for 12th graders have remained constant or declined in math, reading, and science.
These results are confirmed in tests administered by The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) sponsored by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) of which the US, along with 29 other nations, is a member. PISA conducts tests in Science, Mathematics and Reading every three years to see how well students in each nation are doing in relation to each other.
Since 2000, the average science score for U.S. students, age 15, has dropped each testing period reaching 489 in 2006, ranking the US 21st out of the 30 OECD members.
Our math literacy has dropped from 493 against an average of 500 in 2000 to 474 out of an average of 498 in 2006, ranking us 25th.
In 2006, US scores on the literacy portion of the PISA tests were invalidated, but on this portion of the 2003 test, the US placed 15th.
The objective evidence is that, not only is NCLB not working, it is actually working against real improvements in student performance.
Accountability: Under NCLB, Teachers and teachers only, as a class of people, are held accountable for student performance in NCLB.
The reality is that teachers are neither the cause of the problem, nor are they alone able to solve the problem.
One cause for the poor results schools are experiencing is dramatic changes in the demographics of our student population.
According to a report from Center for Immigration Studies, "Illegal aliens account for an estimated 11.3 million of the total or almost one in three of foreign born residents. Since 2000, 10.3 million immigrants have arrived - the highest seven-year period of immigration in U.S. history. More than half of post-2000 arrivals (5.6 million) are estimated to be illegal aliens."
Who controls immigration laws? Who controls the purse strings of education, educational policies, and the home environments and community environment in which our students live? The word teacher does not come up in the answer to any of these questions.
The active participation of all members of our society is required to achieve any lasting improvements to public education.
Clarity: The strict focus of NCLB on academic achievement demonstrates a dismal lack of clarity in understanding the role of public education in American Society.
While good test scores may be desirable, they're not enough. If there is any justification for public education, it is to produce good citizens. As John Goodlad has expressed it, the job of public education is to "enculturate youth into a democracy."
We have recently witnessed a parade of Senators, Congressmen, Governors, Mayors, Business Leaders and others who obviously were good students, but who have certainly not been good citizens.
Their example illustrates a great truth attributed to Theodore Roosevelt, "To educate a person in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society."
NCLB totally ignores this aspect of public education.
Reality: Ostensibly, NCLB is based on the theory of outcome based education. Practically, it is based on the practice of educational bulimia-stuff it in, regurgitate it out and call it good-currently in vogue in most educational institutions in our society.
This focus on teaching children what to think versus how to think received a power boost from NCLB's emphasis on teaching to the test.
With the rate of technical knowledge doubling every two years, this approach is wholly inadequate to the case. The "what's" are becoming obsolete faster than we can memorize them.
In summary, NCLB isn't working and cannot work. Those responsible for administering the program refuse to recognize it's not working and the stake holders who can make a difference are not even acknowledged, much less held accountable for their role in meeting the objectives of NCLB.
Apart from this, NCLB misses the whole purpose of public education by focusing on the wrong objectives and pursuing bulimic instructional methods.
Copyright (c) 2009 George Rogers
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