NCLB in Obama Administration

Mary Higgs
No Child Left Behind in the Obama Administration
In March, President Obama issued his Blueprint for Reform which is his reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The name No Child Left Behind (NCLB) will no longer be used due to the controversy surrounding the current act. President Obama wrote a letter that explains his new reform efforts. He stresses that our students need to compete on a global scale. His goal, therefore, is that by 2020, “the United States will once again lead the world in college completion”. Obama feels that the key to this success will be the nation’s teachers, school leaders, and principals. Obama also recognizes that communities and families also play a part in a child’s education. However, some would argue that all of the responsibility for this new plan is placed on educators. One criticism of Bush’s NCLB was that there was not enough funding to follow through with necessary interventions. President Obama and Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, want to see the federal government play a leading role in reforms for schools while still giving a lot of flexibility to states individual initiatives.

The Obama proposal will provide funds both to states and districts to assist in funding for the development of effective teachers and leaders. He would like to see teachers and leaders rewarded for their effectiveness. It is also very important for effective teachers and leaders to be in schools that are struggling. States will be asked to become more involved with teacher preparation programs. They will monitor their effectiveness and also invest in programs that are developing successful graduates.

Under President Obama, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, expects that all students graduate from high school ready for college and a career, no matter their income, ethnic or language background, race, or disability status. States are being asked to develop standards in language arts and mathematics that prepare students for college or careers. States can upgrade their current standards or also work together to adapt common standards. While NCLB placed emphasis on mathematics and science, President Obama will also focus on history, technology, the arts, literacy, civics, and foreign languages. Assessments will be put in place to better assess higher- order skills and also provide measurements of student growth.

One big difference between Bush’s plan and Obama’s plan is the emphasis on reward and punishment. President Obama not only wants to reward teachers but also schools and school districts. The focus will switch from students passing a grade level test each year, such as the NJ Ask, to students showing improvement from year to year and closing the achievement gap. The Race to the Top incentive will continue. Schools that are willing to take part in the comprehensive reforms will be rewarded. Obama supports the expansion of public charter schools and also the option for public school choice within and across school districts.

The ultimate goal of Obama’s plan is to make all students’ college or career ready by 2020. One way to do that is by supporting early education including the Head Start program. As we know, it is important that students come to kindergarten prepared for school. States are expected to examine their standards and ensure that they are properly preparing students for high school graduation and either college or careers.

Schools that are not succeeding will be labeled “Challenge Schools”. These schools will be forced to implement one of the models suggested by Obama as an intervention. Grants will be given to these schools to assist with the needed interventions. Interventions can be severe including hiring new leadership, teachers, and even closing the school. Therefore, while this plan promotes rewards, there are specific punishments in place for failing schools.

While this plan has just been recently released, a lot of good and bad criticism has already been discussed. According to Fox News, The American Federation of Teachers is concerned that all of the responsibility for failing students will be placed on teachers and school leaders. They feel that if teachers are unable to consistently produce successful students, they will be penalized financially. The National Education Association (NEA) feels that the new plan is going to force states to compete against one another for critical resources. This is due to the part of the plan that rewards highly successful teachers and districts. The hope of the NEA was the funding would be equally distributed among the states. Another concern is that there is still too much emphasis placed on standardized tests. Standardized tests are still one of the ways that Obama suggests we use to measure students success. It is a tough issue because there is not many other ways to assess student’s progress and compare them to students across the country. Teacher’s unions worry that as the criteria of teacher preparation programs become more rigorous, we are not providing a better work force but actually creating a teacher shortage. Teacher’s unions feel that NCLB under former President Bush was not effective. They are not convinced that President Obama’s changes are enough to make the bill effective. According to the New York Times, lawmakers from Oklahoma, Alaska, and North Carolina are concerned that the new plan does not effectively help rural schools and may actually hurt them.

Supporters of Obama’s plan are confident that these changes will help the plan become more effective. Supporters of the bill feel that accountability standards are necessary to foster achievement and growth in all districts. This is a point that most people, including teacher unions, agree with. NCLB keeps the focus on reading, writing, and math. The new plan continues to ensure that special education students, English language learners, minorities, and low-income families receive the same education as everyone else. Education week reports that state superintendents sat down to talk to Arne Duncan about the proposed changes in NCLB. Alabama’s state superintendent said that the meeting was productive and they are off to a good start. Duncan is listening to concerns from these top educators and wants to work together.

It seems that most people are in agreement that high standards are a necessary part of education. Overall, there are many positive points in the blueprint President Obama has created. However, many people feel that they need to see the changes before they support the plan.