No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act
The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, the current incarnation of Lyndon Johnson's Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), established goals that everyone supports: high standards and accountability for the learning of all children. But NCLB's test-and-punish approach does not move us toward those goals.
NCLB is now up for reauthorization by Congress. NEA has developed guidelines for changing the law so it helps schools improve education and close achievement gaps. We encourage Congress to listen to educators' voices in developing the new law.
Keep up with the latest on NCLB, Share and Discuss how NCLB affects you, and see how you can take action by writing to members of Congress to help them see the real impact of NCLB on our schools and to tell them what educators need to improve education for all children.
http://www.nea.org/home/NoChildLeftBehindAct.html »
Post date 03/01/11
Click here to read NEA’s position statement on multiple assessments.
Click here to read a document developed by the HSTA ESEA Task Force.
This accountability statement was researched from all NEA positions and not only from this statement.
(pdf document)
Post date 03/15/11
March 14, 2011
NEA President says it is time to fix the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
WASHINGTON—In a speech at a Virginia middle school, President Barack Obama called on Congress to update the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) before the start of the next school year. The National Education Association (NEA) agreed that it’s time to fix the law and thanked the President for his strong commitment to education and to reforming ESEA.
“It is time to fix the law,” said Dennis Van Roekel, president of NEA. “We must move beyond No. 2 pencils and fill-in-the-bubble tests. We must set high standards and tailor support for students who need help meeting them. We must use accountability systems to improve learning, to identify successful schools and to support those that are struggling. Accountability should never be about punishing schools.”
NEA believes the next version of ESEA must:
- Prepare all students to thrive in college, careers and life. That means a revised ESEA must address the needs of the whole student and provide the kinds of wraparound services that students need to be successful. The new law must ensure that students learn to think critically and solve problems, skills essential to living and working in the 21st century. It must support the use data to improve instruction and use multiple, valid sources of evidence of growth in student learning and school performance over time. It must encourage the use of research and promote innovation, and it must encourage schools to better engage parents, families and communities as partners in students’ learning.
- Elevate the teaching profession. The new law must help districts recruit and retain excellent teachers and education support professionals. NEA believes there should be rigorous preparation for entry into the teaching profession along with comprehensive systems of induction, mentoring and professional development for educators.
- Make schools safe and equitable. The law should provide sustained and targeted support and research-based intervention strategies for struggling schools and provide funding for all schools that is adequate, equitable and sustained.
“Collaboration is the key to transforming schools,” added Van Roekel. “We have so many examples of schools and districts where educators are working in partnership with all stakeholder groups, and the result is that student achievement is rising. NEA and the President are on the same page because we agree that every student deserves a great education and a great school. We look forward to working with Congress and the administration to realize this goal.”
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