No Child Left Behind your purchase.' No Child Left Behind

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act was officially passed in 2001 and was introduced into education shortly after. This act worked to introduce standards-based educational reform of elementary and secondary education. One of the main components of the act was a push towards mandated standardized testing as a means for rating achievements and holding educators accountable for their performances. While the reform was supposed to improve the quality of education that children receive during their development, the actual results of these measures are heavily disputed.

There are many countries in which their education systems do not place a lot of faith in standardized testing; or use them at all in some cases. Furthermore, some I of these countries, are some of the top school systems in the world. Thus, after about a decade of mixed results from No Child Left Behind (NCLB), the data about the program's effectiveness hotly contested in many areas in regards to the effectiveness of the standardized testing strategy. There seems to be some improvement in certain demographics, however it is obvious that others are having trouble. There has also been many interesting developments that have occurred as teachers have been apt to teach based on the tests or "teaching to the test" rather than something representing a more holistic educational experience.

Four Pillars of the NCLB

There are four pillars or four primary components of the No Child Left Behind that were part...

Department of Education, 2004).
1. Stronger Accountability for Results

2. More Freedom for States and Communities

3. Proven Education Methods

4. More Choices for Parents

Under No Child Left Behind, states are working to close the achievement gap and make sure all students, including those who are disadvantaged, achieve academic proficiency. The idea behind the standardized testing is to allow for a comparative ground that will allow states and districts to spot the weak links.

Furthermore, under No Child Left Behind, states and school districts have unprecedented flexibility in how they use federal education funds. They are allowed to allocate their funding to whatever programs that they believe will make the most impact to their schools. For example, they can buy technology, train teachers, or even invest in programs such as Safe and Drug-Free School programs. Federal funding is targeted to support these programs and teaching methods that work to improve student learning and achievement (U.S. Department of Education, 2004). In reading, for example, No Child Left Behind supports scientifically based instruction programs in the early grades under the Reading First program and in preschool under the Early Reading First program which have shown to be effective. Furthermore, the program provides more options for parents and they can take advantage of funding for tutoring or other support programs, or even chose a new school distract if there primary school falls below average for…