We Don't Need No Education

On Monday, January 1, 2002, President George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act, or NCLB. Bush assured the United States that it would put the schools “on a new path of reform… and… results.” Five years later, people are still awaiting results. Also, this year the NCLB Act expires and has to be voted on by Congress. Many citizens hope that this will cause the act to be more effective, though it has affected almost every high school and elementary school in the United States. By the year 2014, children that attend public schools are supposed to be proficient at reading and mathematics. However, this does not look very promising at the moment. For example, only forty-one percent of white fourth graders meet the standard in reading, and only thirteen percent of black fourth graders are proficient. Every year students from grade three through grade eight take tests, such as the National Assessment of Education Progress. These tests measure student performance against the state. If a school fails to make “adequate yearly progress” for two straight years, they are placed on a needs-improvement list. Some of these schools receive credit for helping students make big strides as long as eventually the students become proficient. The Forum on Educational Accountability wants to lower proficiency targets so to help failing schools. There are also other requested changes for the law to help reform education. However, many believe it will not be easy. As assistant secretary for policy Kerri Briggs stated, "Education reform is not necessarily speedy work. It's tough stuff and requires putting in new assessments, creating data systems, rethinking curriculum, new professional development for teachers.... We have a lot of heavy lifting left to do."


In the 1980s, an education reform movement called Goals 2000 was established. High school graduation requirements were increased and state-wide testing programs were instituted. Since then, there has been an increase in academic performance. From 1982 to 1995, the number of students who passed Advanced Placement exams tripled. Also, thirty-eight percent more students took challenging courses. Between 1982 and 1995, the math and verbal score on the SAT increased seventeen points. By the mid-1980s the performance of U.S. students was significantly lower than those of other countries and the need for education reform was as urgent at the end of the 1980s.