Information on NCLB

["George K Cunningham" <gkc@louisville.edu>]

I thought the members of this list might be interested in this useful
information about NCLB.  Many here have misconceptions about this law.

AMERICAN LEGISLATIVE EXCHANGE COUNCIL

http://www.alec.org/meSWFiles/pdf/NCLB%20MythsFacts.pdf 

Myths & Facts on No Child Left Behind


If you listen to media reports on the implementation
and costs associated with the No Child Left
Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), most likely you
will be bombarded with a slew of misinformation.
Listed are some common myths that have
been spread recently-and why not to believe
them.

MYTH #1. NCLB is an unfunded mandate that
forces states to comply with a one-size-fits-all
education system.

FACT: The President and Congress have not
only fully funded these higher standards, but
states are also empowered with a great deal of
flexibility as they implement these goals. With
the high standards for public elementary and secondary
education that NCLB sets forth comes a
$6.4 billion or a 28.5 percent increase in federal
education dollars. Instead of binding funding to
many specific programs that are not proven effective
to increase academic achievement, federal
funding is now correlated to several broad
areas, such as academic achievement, high quality
teachers, parental choice, and accountability,
for states to find methods that best suit them.

MYTH #2. NCLB is just a new list of federal
mandates that states have to follow.

FACT: Many of the "new mandates" aren't new
at all. Accountability measures were already in
place prior to NCLB. Under the 1994 reauthorization
of the Elementary and Secondary Education
Act, which preceded NCLB's enactment by
eight years, each state was required to develop
comprehensive academic standards and correlate
those standards with a curriculum-based exam.
At least math and reading exams were to be administered
at three grade levels. Unfortunately,
states were never held accountable to be in compliance
with the 1994 law.

MYTH #3. NCLB requires a national standardized
test; when in truth, it is quite the opposite.

FACT: The law actually forbids a national test,
and states are free to choose the testing standards
that best fit their students' needs.

MYTH #4. The federal government has created
unrealistic demands on the requirements
teachers must meet before becoming highly
qualified.

FACT: In order to be certified as a highly qualified
teacher, the instructor must be fully certified,
have a bachelor's degree, and have demonstrated
knowledge in the teacher's subject
area. Every state already mandates the first two
requirements. Each state education agency has
the freedom to find the best way to determine if
a teacher has demonstrated subject-specific
mastery. NCLB gives states the flexibility to
create "highly qualified" standards; they have
the choice of a test or an objective evaluation
system developed or approved by the state.

MYTH #5. Seeking advanced certification will
put financial burdens on teachers.

FACT: The federal law includes new tools and
flexibility for teachers. Federal funding for
teacher programs is being increased by 38 percent,
from $787 million to $2.85 billion, to help
states train, recruit, and retain quality teachers.

MYTH #6. School administrators don't have
the flexibility to recruit and retain teachers.
FACT: With the need for exemplary teachers
in fields such as math, science and special education,
NCLB offers states options to attract
uniquely qualified professionals to the teaching
field. The high quality teachers recruitment and
retention programs can include professional development
opportunities, differential pay, signing
bonuses, and performance bonuses, just to
name a few.

MYTH #7. Schools in need of improvement will lose
federal funding.

FACT: To the contrary, there are no financial penalties
for schools that do not make adequate yearly progress.
In fact, states must set aside a portion of their Title I
funds that is expressly marked to provide schools in need
of improvement additional assistance.

MYTH #8. Schools must pay for tutors, instead of using
money on general school improvements.

FACT: If a school is deemed in need of improvement
for three consecutive years, the district must provide a
supplemental education service option. This service can
be paid for with a portion of the Title I funds that states
that will have explicitly for schools in need of improvement.
States can choose from a variety of options regarding
supplemental services, including public or private
sector providers, to offer students tutoring, additional
classes, or individualized education assistance.
These new options for families and students are significant
steps to help children trapped in failing school systems
have a chance at a successful education.

MYTH #9. NCLB reduces local control of schools.

FACT: The federal law expands local control of schools.
After almost four decades of federal government involvement
with stagnant academic results, federal education
spending will finally be directly tied to student
achievement and school success. For the first time, states
and individual school districts can now transfer up to
50 percent of the federal formula grant funds they receive
under the Improving Teacher Quality State Grants,
Educational Technology, Innovative Programs, and Safe
and Drug-Free Schools programs to any one Title I program
without separate approval.

MYTH #10. More money will fix the nation's education
problems.

FACT: The problem with America's education system
has not been a lack of funding, but a lack of accountability
for the money our schools spend. Despite
America's multibillion dollar investments in public
education, students still have lower performance
records than their foreign counterparts, and the
achievement gap between rich, poor, white, and minority
students is still wide. In the past 20 years, per pupil
funding has increased by an average of $2269
in real dollars, but Scholastic Aptitude Test scores
have declined, and 74 percent of public school eighth
graders who took the National Assessment of Educational
Progress in mathematics failed to reach the
proficiency level. In response to this discrepancy,
NCLB takes significant steps to fundamentally
change the education establishment that has seemed
to be content with stagnant test scores and rigid programs.
NCLB creates a partnership between the state
and federal governments to create higher standards
and increase accountability so to increase student academic
achievement.





George K. Cunningham
University of Louisville