Reports and Resources on NCLB

Status:

Archived

Subject:

K-12 Testing

A number of analysts have issued reports on the first year of implementation of the new Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB).

Gerald Bracey, writing in the electronic newsletter “No Child Left” reviews NCLB and concludes that the law is designed to set up public education for destruction. The site itself contains many articles critical of NCLB, though not with a major focus on testing. http://www.nochildleft.com

In the April Phi Delta Kappan, Bracey’s “April Foolishness: The 20th Anniversary of A Nation at Risk” debunks the misleading data presented in the 1983 report which was used as a launching pad for “reforms” that have included high-stakes testing and ultimately NCLB. http://www.pdkintl.org/kappan/k0304bra.htm

The Center for Education Policy (CEP) supports NCLB but worries the law will collapse under its own weight if the Department of Education (DoE) is too rigid. In a survey of all 50 states conducted by CEP, the number one problem was the lack of money (see article, p 26). CEP Director Jack Jennings said states fear they will have too many schools labeled “in need of improvement” to work with and find federal rigidity makes their work harder.

From the Capital to the Classroom: State and Federal Efforts to Implement the No Child Left Behind Act – http://www.cep-dc.org.

Under contract with the U.S. DoE, the Education Commission of the States has gathered substantial information on each state’s plans for implementing NCLB. The material is on the ECS website. ECS also weighs in on how states can accomplish the goals but avoids critical analysis of the law. http://www.ecs.org

The FairTest web site includes links to the ESEA law and regulations plus detailed critiques. http://www.fairtest.org