No child left behind is winning essay
By KALI ALSTROM
Peabody-Burns High School
American school systems are on the quest to achieve a higher standard of learning for the children in their schools. Now, more than ever, parents are seeing action being taken within the schools to help better their children's success after high school. The newest method of equal learning is the No Child Left Behind program that was implemented into school systems in America by President Bush. No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is a program with an excellent goal; that all students, in all schools, will be at a certain level of learning and understanding depending on grade level. However, while this goal is wonderful in theory, no plan is without flaws and, NCLB certainly has room for improvement. For this reason, I believe NCLB is feasible, but only if certain steps are taken to ensure the success of the program.
One of the major flaws in the NCLB program is how it has been introduced into the school systems. We are expecting students in upper level classes to read at a certain level by a certain age, and it has proven very difficult to help those high school students that struggle in the area of reading. The result of the problem of improving high school reading levels is due to the fact that schools are attempting to teach teenagers skills that they should have learned in elementary school and thus can no longer be taught as effectively. To clarify, the study that NCLB is based on was done in a second grade classroom where its students were being taught to read. Each child that had trouble learning how to read in the large group was moved to a smaller group. If the child was still struggling to learn how to read, he or she was helped individually. By the end, all students were able to read at a second grade level and learning disabilities were extinguished. Therefore, the NCLB program can work in school systems; however, people often overlook that after age 10 it becomes increasingly difficult to learn to read, which is why high school students have such a hard time increasing their reading levels. I believe that NCLB would be even more feasible if it were implemented into the second grade and then carried on throughout the rest of a child's schooling. However, asking a student to learn how to read at an age he or she struggles to achieve this concept, and then punishing them for it, is not the correct way to go about helping our schools.
Since this is one of the problems that has kept NCLB from becoming as effective as it has the potential to be, certain steps can be taken to correct these problems. First, by identifying reading problems and correcting them at an early age when a child can still be taught fundamental skills, the majority of learning disabilities in students could be eliminated, allowing them to obtain more knowledge at the upper levels of education. In addition, if schools would explore new ways to identify a child with special needs at an early age, before they have reached the point when it is no longer as easy to learn the fundamentals, we could eliminate many problems that may interfere with the NCLB policy. Therefore, taking special precautions at an early age would allow for the feasibility of the NCLB program.
Finally, the NCLB program should not be considered unproductive or unfeasible because of the few correctable flaws it possesses. In reality, NCLB is an excellent program because it strives to help every child in America succeed in school and in life. Many people believe that this program is too strict and puts too much pressure on schools and teachers. However, with pressure and genuine care from teachers and staff, schools can get children excited about learning and achieving the goal of a high school diploma and the chance for a college education. With the help of educators as well as cooperation from students, the criteria for NCLB are within reach.
Therefore, I believe the No Child Left Behind program will be highly successful with a few minor modifications. Teachers and parents should support this program because of the chance of success it can have on their children and students. If certain adjustments are made NCLB is a feasible program that should be taken very seriously by the American population. Additionally, people should not complain about a program just because it is hard work; they should be willing to make the sacrifice for the youth of America now, or they will be making sacrifices later when these children run their country.
