Jenny Le

Economics 1010
December 4, 2014
Term Paper
National Education Policy: No Child Left Behind Act/Elementary and Secondary
Education Act
Taking it back to the years before 2002, when the No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
Act was put into play by George W. Bush. Weve all heard the phrase, Education is the
key to the future, but what was it like back in the days when education wasnt really a
priority? Before the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act, our country just
had Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which is technically the NCLB Act before
it was created/renamed to improve what was authorized in the original ESEA. The ESEA
was very elementary (no pun intended) compared to the education system nowadays.
Education is the apparatus of the broader social order; it was known as the key to
the future, but if that were the case, why was the system so mediocre? Children werent
where they should be in intelligence levels compared to other countries, which rightfully
so raised concerns. If society knew why education was so important, why is it that the
formal education system changed in such small increments? This is why education was a
subject in nearly every political force. It wasnt until Bushs administration did they
decide to act upon it and upgraded the ESEA to the NCLB Act.
So what was the ESEA purpose exactly? The ESEA is the nations oldest and
largest federal education law. According to the Office of Superintendent of Public
Instruction (OSPI), The federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
emphasizes equal access to education, sets high standards for academic performance, and
demands a rigorous level of accountability from schools and districts. The ESEA was
there to sanction education programs implemented by the states. The purpose of the
programs were to support eligible schools and districts to raise the academic reaching of

Jenny Le
Economics 1010
December 4, 2014
Term Paper
struggling students, and address the difficult challenges that arise among the students
who live with disability, mobility problems, learning difficulties, poverty, transience,
and the need to learn a second language (Elementary and Secondary Act (ESEA),
OSPI). ESEA provisions are critically important to students with learning disabilities. It
was designed to challenge states and school districts to increase efforts to improve
student academic achievements intending to close the achievement gap.
What is this achievement gap, and why is it so important? The term
"achievement gap" is often defined as the differences between the test scores of minority
and/or low-income students and the test scores of their White and (primarily) Hispanic
peers. But achievement gaps in test scores affect many different groups (National
Education Association). With the increase in Hispanic migration into the U.S., studies
have found that the gap have widened, thus, showing lower test scores and little
improvement over the years. Again, ESEA goal was to minimize the gap.
Although the ESEA was a step in the right direction, it wasnt enough. Then came
the No Child Left Behind Act. Its purpose was similar to the ESEA, just with an extra
modification. This modification required states to test students in reading and math in
grades 38 and once in high school. All students are expected to meet or exceed state
standards in reading and math by 2014 (No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, OSPI). It
emphasizes accountability, flexibility, research-based education, and parent options all
of these pillars are to aide in closing the achievement gap by providing children with a
fair, equal, and substantial opportunity to obtain a high-quality education. As you can see,
its pretty similar to ESEA.

Jenny Le
Economics 1010
December 4, 2014
Term Paper
The only significant difference was mandatory testing. The purpose of these
testing is to see if students retained what was taught to them throughout the year(s). By
taking these tests, teachers, school board, and the state can see whether the learning
system is working or not. If not, they can use this information to tailor the system to
improve later test scores. To see if there was a significant change (or not), students are to
take tests at the beginning of the school year as well as the end so their scores can be
compared and analyzed. It is a great tool for teachers because they can use these scores to
alter their teaching strategies to help each child individually, whereas, the school board or
state would use this tool to alter the system for the entirety of the student body.
Therefore, better teaching strategies lead to better test scores. This system sounds great
right? Yes, but with every policy there are criticisms.
Critics aren't sure that the law is responsible for improved test scores. They point
out that even before NCLB, the schools that were giving tests saw test score
improvements since the 1980s. In the 1970s, more students than ever before began taking
tests. Some of these were given by schools, and others, like the SAT and ACT, were
optional tests that became really popular in the 70s. Because not just the smart kids were
taking those tests, scores declined dramatically in the 70s and early 80s. But they have
steadily increased since then. More Americans think No Child Left Behind has made
education in the U.S. worse rather than better, according to results from a Gallup poll
(Saad): 29% of those surveyed believed that the Bush administration education law
(NCLB) has impaired the education system; 38% said NCLB hasnt really made a
difference. The Gallup report points out the lack of "meaningful difference" in the
public's view of NCLB by political party.

Jenny Le
Economics 1010
December 4, 2014
Term Paper
From a first hand experience, I took the liberty to interview some of my old
coworkers who are/were teachers to get their perspectives on the NCLB Act. Majority
came to the conclusion that it made their work more difficult. The standardized lessons
they are pushed to teach are different from traditional ways, which made it: 1) harder for
them to teach and 2) more difficult for children to comprehend compared to how they
(the teachers) were taught when they were in school.
The effect of this newly reformed education policy shaped our society in many
ways. Though some may argue that it hasnt made much of a difference, I think it did
(good and bad). From my experience as a tutor for elementary and middle school-aged
children, Ive found that the way teachers are suppose to be teaching their students are
definitely more difficult to understand. For example, theyve made learning a simple
addition problem more complicated than it should be. The NCLB Act is too busy
focusing on test scores from kids as a whole rather than individually, which ironically
impact these students in a negative aspect. Kids are expected to focus primarily on math
and reading (which isnt a bad thing), while other subjects are set aside as secondary
compared to these two due to a competitive outlook. Its kind of defeating the purpose in
which this whole policy was created. I think government is slowly losing sight of what is
important because theyre comparing them to kids in other countries. After my years of
tutoring, I find the way Ive been taught certain lessons are easier to understand
compared to how theyre being taught nowadays, which is why I like to give some of my
students tips and tricks.
With everything in mind, should we abolish the NCLB Act and go back to our old
ways? In my opinion, I dont think we should get rid of it entirely. It did help in certain

Jenny Le
Economics 1010
December 4, 2014
Term Paper
ways, for example, by hiring more qualified teachers. I think we should more so improve
it by reevaluating standards to find what really works and what doesnt. Government
needs to remove this competitive edge and individualize things more. Sure, its more
work and probably more money but if you look at it in the long run, it would definitely
benefit our society more as a whole.

Jenny Le
Economics 1010
December 4, 2014
Term Paper
BIBLIOGRAPHY
"Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)." Office of Superintendent of Public
Instruction (OSPI). Web. 30 Nov. 2014.
<https://www.k12.wa.us/esea/default.aspx>.
"No Child Left Behind Act of 2001." Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Web. 30 Nov. 2014. <https://www.k12.wa.us/esea/NCLB.aspx>.
Saad, Lydia. "No Child Left Behind Rated More Negatively Than Positively." Gallup.
Web. 30 Nov. 2014. <http://www.gallup.com/poll/156800/no-child-left-behindrated-negatively-positively.aspx>.
"Students Affected by Achievement Gaps." National Education Association. Web. 30
Nov. 2014. <http://www.nea.org/home/20380.htm>.