Kalamazoo Gazette (Michigan) February 14, 2009

HEADLINE:  Is 'No Child Left Behind' helping or hurting students?

By Kelsey DeVries

12th grade

Climax-Scotts High School

The No Child Left Behind policy, introduced by President George W. Bush, was an attempt to alleviate the gap between the students who are struggling in school and those who are excelling. It was originally designed for improving education for students of different ethnicities, for the middle class, and for students with disabilities. However, there are some major issues with how NCLB has evolved.

First, standardized tests determine the amount of government funding a school receives. These tests only ask questions about a few subjects, neglecting others that are vital to a good education.

If teachers become aware of what is on the examinations, they will feel the need to teach only what the students need to know for the tests because there is potential funding involved. Students won't receive the curriculum they deserve, and eventually, they won't be able to advance fully in society because of the lack of knowledge in certain subject areas.

Teachers are affected in another way, also. The funds the schools receive for good test results aren't distributed to the teachers who worked hard to teach the students.

Secondly, students who don't perform well in school won't want to try hard to receive a good education. The lower the expectations, the lower the grades will be. Students who do well in school won't have an incentive to try their best either because they know it isn't really going to count.

Finally, the policy is primarily focused on math, science, and English. The other subjects lose importance and are forgotten. Every student deserves to receive quality schooling, and I don't think NCLB will ensure that that will happen.

The No Child Left Behind policy is hurting schools because it doesn't provide a strong education and limits advancement for students. It is a policy that either needs to be taken out of schools or changed in order to strengthen education and provide a better future for students.

Khrystyne Noeldner

12th grade

Paw Paw High School

The problem with No Child Left Behind is it relies on a standardized test. Many schools appear to lower their educational standards to help their students pass the test so the schools will receive the funding that comes with the increase in test scores, as provided in the No Child Left Behind legislation.

The problem with schools putting so much emphasis on test results is that many schools stop teaching the material that students should be learning to be prepared for the real world, and instead start teaching to the test.

What good will teaching students how to pass a test be once they are out of school? Schools should be more worried about how their students will succeed in the real world and not so much about how they are going to do on one standardized test. The ability to answer questions on one test may not even apply once students make it into the real world.

No Child Left Behind has been beneficial to some schools. Schools which can make it through the rigorous requirements which No Child Left Behind mandates are eligible for additional funding. Therefore, schools that don't get the funding they need from their usual source of revenue have a way to get funds to help continue at least some part of their educational development.

The main problem with this is that schools most in need of funding can't get it because their student test scores don't meet the No Child Left Behind requirements. In many cases, those test scores could be improved if the schools could get the funding to provide better, or, in most cases, more basic supplies to help further students' education.

No Child Left Behind has the potential to do great things for the educational system in the United States. But with the lack of real commitment from the national government, the program is more of a burden than a benefit for the educational system.

Renee Macdonald

12th grade

Loy Norrix High School

No Child Left Behind was initiated to help students with their futures. Unfortunately, it takes more than just a few good ideas to fix an entire country's educational system.

No Child Left Behind writes rules for a perfect world in a perfect scenario. While there is nothing wrong with expecting teachers to be highly qualified, the expectation that all students meet the same standards all the time is ludicrous. There are many factors influencing whether students do well in the classroom.

Home life plays a major role in students' academic careers. Schools have absolutely no control over what happens off campus. As a student at Loy Norrix, I see it every day. Bright students are forced to put schoolwork last due to their need to take care of their families. It isn't that they are unable to learn the material; it's that they don't have enough time in the day to complete the necessary tasks to do well in the classroom.

To address this problem, No Child Left Behind requires schools to report to parents about how their students are doing. Regrettably, not all parents care or are easily contacted. Notes and report cards sent home through the student can easily be disposed of before they ever reach the parent.

Then there is the simple fact that every person is created differently, and we cannot all achieve the same goals. Sally may be excelling at math and struggling in English, while Jimmy is struggling in geometry and surpassing all standards in English. Some students may struggle with everything, with or without a learning disability.

Holding schools to a higher standard of education isn't necessarily a bad thing, but student demographics need to be taken into consideration. The government should look at the highest level students have achieved as well as the lowest level.

Working on the lower level students should be a priority, but still the schools can only do so much.