No Child Left Behind's impact on teaching methods and student equity

No Child Left Behind: Changing the Way Teachers Teach

The purpose of this paper is to examine the changes that teachers have made in order to adapt to the need to improve student test scores on standardized tests since the introduction of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. This act promised to reform the school system in order to prepare students for the technological challenges that it would face in the future. It focused on improving teacher quality, school choice and accountability and assessment (U.S. Department of Education, 2010). However, the act had many more affects than was first anticipated. This research will examine how the act changed the way that teachers teach. It will support the thesis that No Child Left Behind does not allow teachers to demonstrate their true talents, as it forced them to teach for the test.

Problem

No child Left Behind introduced standardized testing to add an element of standardization and accountability to the United States school system. Tremendous pressure was placed on schools and individual teachers to make certain that their students performed to the acceptable standard. Many teachers were used to a certain degree of freedom to change the curriculum or add enrichment activities to the curriculum. This all ended with No Child Left Behind. Due to time and other pressures, teachers found themselves teaching to the test and only the test.

The limits placed on teachers by the need to make certain that their students were performing up to par created unanticipated gaps in the educational system. For instance, the teacher must now play the averages in the classroom. This leaves many students behind, such as bilingual students, who are at a disadvantage at test time (Menken, 2006). Other groups of students are left out of the equation as well. These gaps need to be resolved so that the system is fair to all learners. Teachers need more flexibility than teaching to the test allows so that they can better address the needs of all students in their classrooms.

Reader/Audiences

The intended audience for this research paper is public school teachers. A secondary audience will consist of school administrators, those responsible for adopting public policy and parents of school age children.

Methods

This research will use a quantitative research method that involves the administration of a survey to elementary school teachers of grades K-6. The research method will examine the key issues as indicated by a literature review. Key issues to be included in the survey are the perceived stress on teachers as they strive to teach to the test (Ottalini, 2008), how teaching to the test impacts special groups within the classroom (Irving, Nti, & Johnson, 2007), and how teaching to the test has narrowed their creativity and enthusiasm for teaching (Sonnenblick, 2008).

Qualifications

My qualifications for conducting this study include an undergraduate degree in Psychology. Currently, I am substitute teacher in a public school system and plan to obtain a certificate to teach high school in the near future. My practical experience in the classroom provides the inspiration for this research project.

Work Schedule

The following schedule will be used for the completion of this research study.

Activity

Completion Date

Gathering Information

Analyzing Information

Organizing Information

Planning the Draft

Drafting the Report

Planning Revisions

Revising the Draft

Editing

Proofreading

Request for Approval

I would like to thank the approval board for consideration of this research proposal and formally request permission to proceed.