President Bush implemented the No Child Left Behind act 7 years ago in hopes to insure educational success for children across the nation. No Child Left Behind requires that public schools give standardized tests so that states can measure the schools based on the test scores. The act rewards schools with high scores on standardized tests through funding and other programs. For schools that do not perform up to the standard level, they do not receive such rewards. However, this act has and continues to hinder the quality of education for children throughout the United States.
No Child left behind takes away from class time to teach and learn about valuable skills that children need these days. The act neglects the fact that certain schools are poor with large class sizes that can use the time to give one on one attention to students who need individual aid. No Child Left Behind ignores demographics in the sense that it can offer information about the unique needs of a given school. The only time the act pays attention to demographics is when labeling certain districts with certain educational identities such as poor schools performing below the standards. The act does not seek to help this problem, it only reinforces the problems children face in education. In the end, children are still left behind because if the schools cannot perform up to the standard, they do not receive any extra funding. Clearly, these schools will continue on this path if something does not stop or change the No Child Left Behind act.
Speaking of “change,” President-elect Obama is planning on “moving away” from the standardized testing in order to strengthen public education. In fact, Dennis Van Roekel, president of the National Education Association, feels that “Such overemphasis on standardized testing, combined with a lack of funding, has forced schools to narrow the curriculum and divert resources from art, music, social studies and physical education to teach to the test.” Obama and the chosen head of Department of Education, Arne Duncan, believe that schools need more trained teachers and better ways of measuring success in schools. Their plans to improve the quality of schools is supported by their idea of having the federal government more involved in education. Children need the basic necessities including nutrition programs, resources, qualified teachers, and a comprehensive curriculum to gain fundamental knowledge in school and future advancement.