A primer on what could change in an update of the No Child Left Behind education law, complete with puppets and a group of young scholars from Georgetown.
WASHINGTON — When the No Child Left Behind Act was passed in 2001, it instantly became a lightning rod for criticism. Ten years later, there is movement in Washington to change the law for the better.
When first enacted, the law was supposed to raise accountability in public schools. One of the goals was to have 100 percent of students reach state standards in math and reading by 2014.
But reaching goals like these seemed unrealistic after a decade, so in 2011 the Department of Education introduced waivers. States could apply for flexibility in some of the federal requirements of No Child Left Behind if they had their own plans in place.
While it was a temporary solution, some, like those in the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions, think the law needs a major overhaul. In October, the HELP committee met to revise the bill.
The committee’s amended bill has four major changes. The first is to fix the one-size-fits-all approach created by the No Child Left Behind Act. To accomplish this, the committee has proposed to eliminate policies like “adequate yearly progress” requirements and mandated federal sanctions for all schools that create pressure to “teach to the test.”
Second is to help ensure that every student graduates from high school ready for college and a career. They propose to support states as they develop and implement college and career ready academic standards with high-quality assessments.
Third is to support great teachers and principals, and ensure that all children receive the best instruction. One way this would be done by recruiting and preparing teachers for high-need subjects like math and science.
Finally, they propose to focus the federal government’s role on the things it does best, while giving states and communities the flexibility they need to address the unique needs of their students and schools. One way to do this is to promote smooth transition and alignment from early learning to K-12 to higher education, and across federal education programs.
Because of other bills in front of it, the revised bill has yet to reach the Senate floor and likely will not until 2012.