No_Child_Left_Behind

Fundamental and Essential Factors in Determining NCLB as a Help or a Detriment to Education in the United States A teacher is someone who sees what can be accomplished not what cannot be accomplished. Teachers know that to expect their students to become lifelong learners they must be willing to do the same. They are good communicators and team players and realize the importance of establishing strong home-school connections. Educators follow up to do their best to capture the essence of their students to understand their hopes, dreams and strengths. A teacher recognizes that vulnerabilities appear in many forms and sees beyond the exteriors that students sometimes hide behind and seeks innovative ways to help students shine. A teacher expresses how much they value uniqueness and helps students to develop tolerance, kindness and to embrace differences. Twelve years from now, all children who attend public schools must be proficient in reading, math and science. We will not reach this goal if we continue to do more of the same thing with more intensity. How schools are structured and what successful schools look like is changing. Teachers, principals and school administrators who are knowledgeable about these changes will be able to meet the challenges of the No Child Left Behind Act. Teachers show that they too have vulnerabilities and show how they trust their students to see such weaknesses in order that their students can have the same trust in them. They have the courage to admit that they do not know all of the answers and they openly show that they enjoy learning from their students as well as having their students learn from them. Teachers appear tireless even when they are quite weary as they desire to help keep their students excited about learning. Teachers create an environment where students feel safe to explore and learn. Teachers walk a tight rope to be humorous but turn it around to be serious as needed for learning to occur. They are always seeking to teach in ways that address all learning styles. Teachers tell stories that make students want to be better people. Teachers are not afraid to try things or do things that may make them look a little odd in order to help their students to learn. They admit when they make a mistake and apologize if necessary. Teachers have morals and standards and live as such in order to be a good role model. Educators help students to see things in different ways. Teachers show children how to seek knowledge independently. Teachers are facilitators who know how to model and when to fade away to let their students take over. The No Child Left Behind Act affects virtually every person employed in the public school system. All schools in districts that accept Title 1 federal funds must make detailed annual reports on the progress of all children. Each school must also report the progress of four subgroups: minority children, children with disabilities, children with limited English proficiency, and children from low-income families. If a district is not successful in raising the level of all students, immediately and steadily, to the state-defined level of proficiency, the district will lose control. Detailed information about the performance of schools in the district and subgroups of children must be readily available to anyone who wants this information. Real estate agents will use these reports to answer customer questions about school districts and neighborhoods. Teachers will examine this information before deciding to apply for a position in a school, district, or state. Superintendents will use this information to determine which principals are running successful schools and which are not. School boards will use this information to evaluate superintendents. Voters will use this information to evaluate school boards. Industry will use state report cards to make decisions about where to locate new facilities. What company wants to locate a new factory in a state with a high dropout rate' Who wants to buy a house in a neighborhood where the schools are not successful' Who will apply for a teaching job in an unsuccessful school' The No Child Left Behind Act changes public school accountability. No one will judge schools as successful because of attractive buildings, new books, small classrooms, number of volunteers, etc. The only thing school personnel will get credit for is their ability to teach children to the level of proficiency. Being able to say that 20 percent of a school's graduates go on to Harvard will not keep a school out of the "Needs Improvement" category if the dropout rate is high, or if children in one of the subgroups are not learning to read or do math at a proficient level. Principals and teachers in successful schools should expect an influx of students because of the school choice provisions. Saying the school is too full to accept new students is not an option. Saying the school cannot accept new students because the staff wants to maintain a specific class size is not an option. Saying there are not enough teachers to teach new students is not an option. The impact on school personnel will be as follows: Student test results will affect everyone employed by the school district. K-3 teachers must teach all children to read. These teachers must learn how to assess children and how to use assessment results to plan effective instruction. If a child is not making progress with one method of instruction, the teacher must use a different, more appropriate method. Teachers must use research-based methods of teaching. Many teacher-training programs do not require students to be knowledgeable about research-based teaching methods in order to graduate. Many states do not require this knowledge for certification or licensure of elementary school teachers. Under the No Child Left Behind Act, elementary school teachers must meet the new "highly qualified" standard. Teachers who teach upper elementary grades must teach math, reading, and science at higher levels of skill. These teachers must have the skills to teach many levels of students. Annual testing will show the amount of gain made by students of individual teachers. Schools will not be able to keep ineffective teachers. The stakes are too high. Middle school and high school teachers must meet the new "highly qualified" standard in the subjects they teach. Teachers in higher grades are responsible for gains made by their students. These teachers will be responsible for educating students who transfer into their schools without the level of instruction they should have had. Music teachers, physical education teachers, computer teachers, and foreign language teachers are not immune from this law. If their school must offer school choice, many of their students may leave. They may have to follow the students to a better school and teach the rising population there. Speech pathologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists and guidance counselors may have to work academics into their therapies to make up for the child's time out of the classroom. When children exercise their school choice options and leave unsuccessful schools, there may not be a need for as many related service providers. Special education teachers must teach students to the level of proficiency. If a special education teacher teaches a core subject, they must meet the standard of a highly qualified teacher in that subject. Special education teachers must work more closely with regular educators. A student may take an alternative assessment if their disabilities prevent them from taking the regular state assessment but alternative assessments must test grade level knowledge.. Special education directors must recommend effective research-based methods for children with different learning styles. Graduation rates for students with disabilities will be broken out on school and district report cards. These report cards will show the proficiency rates of students with disabilities at each school. If the drop out rate is high, the superintendent or school board will expect an explanation. If test scores of students with disabilities are low, directors of special education may need to explain why these children are not achieving higher scores, even though each child has an Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) that is designed to meet the child's unique needs. Superintendents must oversee and evaluate training for personnel in research-based methods and curricula. They must also ensure that all paraprofessionals in Title 1 schools are working in appropriate capacities and meet minimum education and knowledge requirements. Superintendents must deal with student populations that fluctuate annually as school choice options change. These changes will affect schools that have to offer school choice, and schools that do not accept Title 1 funds. The child who exercises school choice does not have to attend another Title 1 school. They may choose to attend a school that does not receive Title 1 funding. Once a child chooses a school, they may stay at that school until the student successfully completes the highest grade in the school. School board members must hire administrators who have the expertise to improve student learning and make the district successful. School board members must become knowledgeable about effective teaching methods and research-based curricula. Some board members may think they have this knowledge. If this were true, schools would not have a 68% failure rate in teaching students to read by fourth grade. By the time the school board receives their school and district report cards, more schools may have entered the "Needs Improvement" category. Learning how to be successful the first time around will be the key to keeping the needs for space and teachers stable. The improvements mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act will lead to changes in other areas. The No Child Left Behind regulations includes statements about the economic and non-economic benefits of a good education: • Nations that invest in quality education enjoy higher levels of growth and productivity, and a high-quality education system is an indispensable element of a strong economy and successful civil society. • High school graduates are more likely to continue their education and receive the additional skills and knowledge necessary to compete for jobs in a high-technology, knowledge-driven economy. There are positive correlations between higher levels of schooling and higher lifetime earnings, higher savings rates, and reduced costs of job search.