The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), renamed the "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB) Act of 2001 by the Bush Administration, will come up for renewal in September 2007. That means the U.S. Congress is now holding hearings to consider changes to the law. Final action may not happen until 2008 or even later, but CTA, NEA, and teachers are mobilizing now for a major role in passing legislation that better meets the needs of students and teachers.
ESEA/NCLB established praise-worthy goals — high standards and accountability for the learning of all children, regardless of their background or ability. It also requires all teachers in core subjects to be "highly qualified" by the end of the current school year.
As well as being seriously flawed, the ESEA/NCLB Act has been consistently under-funded. Funding for this Act in California fell more than $2.2 billion short of originally promised levels this year alone, and educators say the results are seen in the ability of schools to meet federal mandates for student achievement. Of California's 9,188 public schools, 4,055 (44%) failed to make annual yearly progress (AYP) under ESEA/NCLB and 1,772 schools (19%) failed to meet federal AYP for the second consecutive year, and are subject to federally mandated sanctions.
The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) had announced that no state has met a requirement that calls for 100 percent of teachers in core subjects to be "highly qualified" by the end of 2006. California's standards for becoming certificated teachers are among the highest in the nation. In fact, the U.S. DOE has commended the state for implementing teacher quality regulations, but funds to support retention of highly qualified teachers have been cut by more than $33 million. Consequently, no state in the nation has met this requirement.
The following links will provide basic information on NCLB/ESEA. Also check the National Education Association website for additional information.
Erase, Rewrite, Reauthorize
Learn more about CTA's campaign to change ESEA to make it better for our students and schools
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CTA/NEA member Teresa Montano of Northridge speaks out about the impact of NCLB on her students and her classroom
NEA President Reg Weaver testified on March 13 before an unprecedented joint hearing of the House Education and Labor Commimttee and the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.
Reasons to oppose new proposed Highly Qualified Effective Teacher mandate
Washington Post: Dozens in GOP Turn Against Bush's Prized "No Child" Act
Read The Education Coalition's Recommendations for the Reauthorization of ESEA
Read NEA's Fact Sheets on:
California Educator - Sept. 2006
News
News from NEA
Research
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- High-Stakes Testing and Student Achievement: Problems for the 'No Child Left Behind Act,' -- Conducted by Sharon L. Nichols, Gene V. Glass, and David C. Berliner of the Education Policy Studies Laboratory at the Arizona State University, College of Education. The full report (PDF, 118 pages) is available at the Education Policy Students Laboratory Website.
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Studies Find Growing Discontent with NCLB -- Two recent research reports find the public and state legislatures across the country are perceiving NCLB as more harmful than helpful to public education. The "NCLB Left Behind: Understanding the Growing Grassroots Rebellion Against a Controversial Law," provides a detailed national overview of a "growing grassroots rebellion."
NCLBgrassroots.org and the Civil Society Institute.
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Reports: NCLB Adversely Impacts Disadvantaged Students, Schools -- Closing the achievement gap among disadvantaged and minority students is supposed to be the centerpiece of the 'No Child Left Behind' education law. Ironically, four reports released by the
Harvard Civil Rights Project reveal that in the real world, the law's sanctions are falling especially hard on disadvantaged and minority students and schools.
ESEA/NCLB Resources