Can The United States Test its way to Educational Reform?

Senator Tom Harkin (Iowa-D) has proposed an 865-page bill that would reshape the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001NCLB, a re-authorization of the original Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, is an educational reform act, which seeks to restructure the underperforming public educational system and schools of the United States. 

This act, which dramatically increased spending on and authority over public education in America, requires each state to measure every public school student's progress in reading and math in grades three through eight, and at least once during grades 10 through 12. However, the bill specifically prohibits any national testing or federally controlled curriculum. It is up to the states to select and/or design their own tests, and to make sure that the tests align with the state curriculum standards.

Harkin's bill would strip the law's ability to deem thousands of public schools with lower standardized test scores in reading and math, as failing. It would also grant the state governments more control, making them responsible for resuscitating struggling schools, and ridding teachers of the pressure to raise the number of passing students proportionally each year.

According to the United States Department of Education, The Bush administration requested $24.4 billion for the act. A 59 percent increase in Title I grants was also given to local educational agencies because of this budget request. With these funding increases, there has been an increased administrative burden on state and local authorities. No Child Left Behind created new rules and regulations for schools and significantly increased compliance costs for state and local governments.

 According to the Office of Management and Budget, No Child Left Behind increased state and local governments' annual paperwork burden by 6,680,334 hours, at an estimated cost of $141 million dollars.

 "It's not hard to juggle, because experience, motivation and the ability to relate to the kids compensate for the lack of material that the children are being exposed to," said Fahmi Galloway, an instructor at Septima Clark Public Charter School.

Margaret Jensen, volunteer coordinator of Reading Partners, a nonprofit organization that matches volunteers with struggling young readers, appreciates NCLB's lack of national standards. "If a school does not make its adequate yearly progress targets after four previous years of being ‘in need of improvement,' it must undergo restructuring," Jensen said. 

Schools have the following options when they are forced to restructure: turn the operations over to the state, turn the operations over to a private company, reopen as a charter school or reconstitute the school by replacing some or all of the teachers, staff and administrators.

While educators have their opinions, students certainly have their own as well. "The act is not as effective because it has different standards that not all children are capable of adhering to," said Aline Muyansanga, a junior political science major.

However, not all students feel this way. "I went to public schools for most of my life and not all of the kids in my school were up to par with required reading levels. No Child Left Behind helps lessen this gap," said Natasha Ballard, a sophomore business management major.

Ballard went on to say that elementary school education should be generalized, but that high school should be the exception because it is where students begin to learn more about themselves and their various skill sets.

            Overall, The No Child Left behind Act has its flaws, but it also has potential. With more discussion over the effectiveness of the act, the more attention poorly performing public schools are getting which creates more chances for improvement. Only time will tell whether or not these discussions and debates, will turn into something substantial.