After Nearly a Decade of No Child Left Behind We're approaching 100 Percent 'Failure'
The stated purpose of the 2002 No Child Left Behind Act was to make every student in the U.S. proficient in reading and math by the year 2014. The way to get there was by identifying and punishing "failing schools" -- those that were unable to make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), based on their students' standardized test scores.
But after eight years of test-and-punish reform, even NCLB's supporters are shaking their heads in dismay. Far from bringing every child up to proficiency, U.S. schools appear to be headed for a 100 percent failure rate by 2014, and the so-called achievement gapbetween white children and children of color (especially African-American males) is growing wider.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan, who earlier lauded NCLB for its stated goals, told Congress last Wednesday that 82 percent of all schools could now be labeled as "failing" under NCLB rules. The Department of Education currently estimates the number of schools not meeting targets will skyrocket from 37 to 82 percent in 2011, since states have "raised standards" to meet the requirements of the law. Not exactly racing to the top, are we?
The grim news has forced Duncan to re-triangulate. He supported NCLB while serving as Chicago's school CEO. And while he has grown increasingly critical of the current version of NCLB, Duncan's
