This year marks the 10th anniversary of No Child Left Behind, the most aggressive intrusion of federal authority into a core issue that is constitutionally the responsibility of the states.
But NCLB passed with almost unanimous support from both political parties. Why? Because, according to the supporters, NCLB was going to close the historic achievement gap between low-income and minority students and middle-class white students. It would make sure all students received a superior educational experience. It was going to hold all teachers, administrators and schools “accountable” for closing this gap.
It would also hold schools and teachers accountable for all student achievement. And it promised that this would be completed by 2014. Instead, after 10 years and according to the accumulated empirical evidence, NCLB has actually caused a widening of the achievement gap.
It has narrowed the curriculum to mostly test-prep practice with a short-sighted focus on discrete reading and math skills. It has forced teachers to stop teaching and to “prep” kids for tests and has pushed administrators into the position of data managers instead of instructional leaders.
It has forced the closing of some community- based schools and has ushered in a new form of segregation: Poor and minority students are the most likely to have their schools reorganized with a bare-bones, scripted curriculum or to have their schools closed, forcing children to attend a charter school that in all likelihood is no better and may be worse than their community-based school.
For the middle-and upper-middle-class students, their 10-year experience with NCLB has literally left them behind. These students are now 50 percent more likely to need remedial math and writing courses upon graduation from high school.
In other words, NCLB has cost taxpayers billions of dollars, practically destroyed America’s public education system and caused our children to lose ground academically — an absolute disaster.
Parents, why do you put up with this? The state allows your children to “opt out” of NCLB testing, such as the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment.
Teachers, I know you know better. Why do you spend hours prepping for invalid tests? This is not really teaching — or why you became a teacher.
Principals, where is your leadership? Your teachers need you to call the kettle black.
Superintendents, why do you continue to do back flips in a system that, in the end, will dissolve any need for your type of educational expertise?
School boards, why the silence as your community schools are being dismantled and property values decrease each year in direct correlation to NCLB scores?
How much longer will we allow this disaster to continue? Parents, teachers, principals, superintendents and school boards: please step up and end the unwinnable game. Our children’s futures are at stake.
Timothy D. Slekar is an associate professor of teacher education and co-coordinator of the education program at Penn State Altoona. He can be reached at tds12@psu.edu. The views expressed are his and not necessarily those of Penn State.
