The Act does not establish a national achievement standard; each State must confirm its own set of standards, but in order to receive funding, the States must meet basic criteria of performance (Abernathy, 2007).
The Case -- Maureen Hulbert faced a daunting task when she assumed her role as principal for one of the worst schools in her area. The demography shows a clear economic decline, collage of incohesive ethnic neighborhoods, and an unemployment rate exceeding 200% of the national average. The District serves almost 7,000 students, but has a dropout rate of almost 30%. Nearly 70 of the students qualify for free lunch, most being either African-American or Hispanic. Principal Hulbert's school has an enrollment just shy of 400 students, with 90% children of color. These students, 82% who qualify for free lunches, have...
The faculty is older (average of 53), set in their ways (over 2/3 have only taught at this school), and a clear and open debate faced Hulbert from both parents and faculty regarding performance expectations (Kowalski, 2007, 14-15).
Evaluation and Recommendations -- There are three blatant problems at Buchannan Elementary: teacher experience and morale, cogent and relevant student-centered curriculum, and, unrealistic standards from NCLB for this type of school at present. Two of these issues can be solved relatively quickly; one is a bit more challenging. As instructors and administrators we all have but one chance to reach students -- during class hours. We can neither control nor mandate what happens before or after school, but we can
