The NCLB Act is not a new concept. It has roots in Lyndon Johnson's Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). This current incarnation is a federal law that was proposed by President George W. Bush shortly after he took office in January 2001, and was signed into law in January 2002. The ultimate goal of the NCLB Act is for all children to demonstrate achievement at least equal to their grade level by the year 2014.
The key requirements of the NCLB Act are for each state to set goals for proficiency levels in reading and math, and increase them gradually until all students are performing on grade level. States are also required to develop and implement assessments to demonstrate Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and parents are to be notified of the school's success rate. In addition, NCLB aims to ensure teachers are "highly qualified" and that they participate in ongoing professional development. However, the question emerges, "who is going to evaluate the teachers?" Many believe that only teachers are qualified to evaluate other teachers while others feel that the principals are capable of evaluating teachers. This is the main source of contention.
Supporters point to statistical data which indicates that NCLB has proven successful. Since its passage, studies conducted by numerous groups, including the Center for Education Policies, have shown significant improvement in student achievement and improved performance in schools making an effort to implement the NCLB. Studies indicate that the achievement gap between white and minority students is closing since NCLB. Taxpayers have more access to data on school performance and parents have a better picture of how their school's performance compares nationally. Teachers have clear objectives to which they can tailor their lessons, and administrators have clearer means of monitoring progress in schools.
Opponents of NCLB argue that because states set their own goals and assessments, states may make tests easier, and schools are taking measures so that achievement appears higher than it actually is. To support this is the failure of students to perform on the National Assessment of Educational Progress as well as they do on state-designed assessments. Some educators and parents have expressed a discomfort with the standardization of progress, in that it undermines individual human potential. The National Education Association (NEA) position is that, while it supports the goals of NCLB, the organization feels that the approach focusing on competition and punishments fails to propel us towards those goals. Many feel that NCLB creates a test taking academy feeling to schools and sucks all creativity out of teaching.
Reauthorization of NCLB has been postponed until 2009. Both proponents and opponents of NCLB are working hard to push their positions with voters and politicians in attempts to sustain, revise or do away with the law. The Business Coalition for Student Achievement has begun the "NCLB Works!" campaign (see Resources below). The NEA has offered eight principles for revising the NCLB Act into what it believes will result in more progress towards meeting the goals (see Resources). Educator Roundtable, an organization whose goal is to improve education-related legislation, already has collected more than 34,000 signatures on their "Petition Calling for the Dismantling of the No Child Left Behind Act" (see Resources).