The No Child Left Behind Act is Not Working. It is Hurting our Students, Teachers and Schools.
- The No Child Left Behind Act is hurting our students, teachers and schools. Its failed one-size-fits-all approach to education ignores the individual needs of our students. Parents and teachers know all children do not learn in the same way or at the same pace.
- NCLB grades student and school success based on a snapshot of mandated, standardized tests given on a single day. The focus on testing forces teachers to teach to the test and has decimated programs like art, music, social studies and physical education.
- NCLB sets up schools to fail. This year NCLB labeled one out of every four California public schools as failing. Instead of punishing schools, we need a system that provides assistance and resources to help all students and schools succeed.
- NCLB has not improved student learning. According to the Harvard Civil Rights Project, NCLB did not have a significant impact on improving reading and math achievement scores and it has not helped narrow achievement gaps. The research shows the law has actually shortchanged schools that serve predominantly disadvantaged, minority students with an over reliance on sanctions rather than assistance.
- The President and Congress have broken their promise to fully fund the law, making NCLB a federally mandated burden on local school districts. The shortfall in promised federal funding now exceeds $56 billion.