Something that sounds good in theory does not always work out in actuality. Take the No Child Left Behind Act which was intended to bring all students up to a basic standard in reading and math. Although the arts are considered a "core subject" by this act, strained resources are being redirected to bringing up scores in reading and math because the school district will lose money if this is not done.
I came across this article and in it was this nugget of information:
In California, the act's emphasis on reading and mathematics contributed to a 50 percent drop in the number of students in music education courses, according to a study by that state's Department of Education, which looked at data from 1999 through 2004.
http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050523/NEWS/505230321/1001/COMMUNITY
Yes there should be accountability in the education system but this act has problems as far as evaluation. The bottom line is that not all students learn by the same method or at the same age. Special education students are included in the evaluation numbers and obviously that skews the results. Some kids are just never going to reach the levels required-they just aren't capable.
So who is evaluating the No Child Left Behind Act?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
It's hard to figure out the NCLB act. I have seen some very good things come out of it, like children who are taken into state custody can continue to go to their same school rather than having to transfer to a new school in the area that they are now living. That makes a huge difference to a child who has been displaced from their family (so they can have a little bit of normalcy). On the other hand, I have seen the effects low test scores can have on a school's students as well as the faculty. Teachers are being directed (behind closed doors, of course) to teach the test rather than just teach the subject.
ReplyDeleteI think there are definately some changes that need to be made, even of the overall idea is good.