I. Introduction Essay - 2,216 words

I. Introduction 1...The role of education in society: a. education for Americans; b. the background of No Child Left Behind Act. II. Main Part 1.


No Child Left Behind Act a. financial support to students; b. main tasks of the Act; c. Early learning; d. opportunities for teachers; e. problems with the Act.


III. Conclusion 1.Advantages of the Act No child is left behind For a long time education has been one of the main principles of a democratic society. Educational problems were number one for American government. The principals on which education was based in America were signed in the Constitution. John Adams said, Education for every class and rank of people down to the lowest and the poorest. It proves that from the very beginning education in the country is considered to be for all. The increase of the number of educated people leads to the growth of a countrys economy.


Education is closely connected with political, economical and cultural life of a country. So, education and the problems, it had faced, changed with the development of the state. "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be. (Thomas Jefferson, 1816) No Child Left Behind Act was adopted taking into account an experience of previous generations. 50 years ago Brown v. Board of Education case became the first serious decision about education. The U.S.


Supreme Court agreed that separate but equal doctrine was not constitutional and racial segregation in public schools were abolished. In 1964, the Civil Rights Act was passed; and a year later Elementary and Secondary Education Act was adopted. The Education Act was based on the principles of free education for all American citizens. But with the development of the society the Act was unable to fulfill new tasks that the state had faced. Having examined the results from different sources, American government came to conclusion that a lot of students were left behind. They did not have an access to knowledge of good level.


The other problem was that the great progress of the 21st century demanded highly qualified workers. But a lot of school leavers did not satisfy the level of competitiveness in the global economy. Upon graduating from high school, few students have acquired the math and science skills necessary to compete in the knowledge - based economy.(3:12) There was another problem. The level of knowledge in primary schools was on a low level. Almost 70 percent of children could not read at a basic level. Nearly one third of school seniors needed a recurring course that would help them to start regular college level courses.


Most of all the federal government has been influenced strongly on Americans education since 1965. Hundreds of educational programs were created by Congress. Those programs were spread across 39 federal agencies. They cost a great sum of money, about $120 billion a year. But the programs did not take into account local needs. Thats why they were called program for every problem". The federal government should be a linking part between Congress and local officials.


But it did not fulfill its tasks. Every year billions of dollars were spent on educational programs but there were no results. The problems between rich and poor, majority and minority, healthy and children with disabilities were growing wider. The federal government was partly to blame for failure in the education system. It became clear that federal involvement in education was inefficient. It was evident that national system of education had to be changed.


Education has always been very important in America. It was a part of the American Dream. And, most of all, it was necessary for the society, because educated people have more opportunity to get good job. It would cause diminishing of poverty and crime; and prosperity of the nation. America needed a new decision. The old system should be changed.


In January 2001, only 11 states were satisfied with previous Federal education accountability standards. On January 8, 2002, No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001 (Public Law 107- 110) was signed by the President Bush. The decision was supported by the majorities of Republicans and Democrats. It became one of the most important reforms in education which set new tasks before federal government. The Act was flexible and ensured accountability. Most of all, it gave more power to federal support for education.


The Act became a logical continuation of the processes started with the Brown v. Board decision. It guaranteed inclusive, responsive, and fair education. With the purpose to give better opportunity for every child, the government decided to give new funding. First of all, the spending for Striving Readers program was increased. Secondly, teachers would be rewarded. They would have to show success of their students. The next step was fund for low-income and minority students.


It would give them a great chance to continue their education in future. "We want America to be promising for every single child of every background so that not one single child in America is left behind." (President George W. Bush, May 11, 2004) Recently, the President has proposed new initiatives in Higher Education to support measures of No Child Left Behind Act. He proposed to establish a new Community College Access Grants Fund at $125 million in 2006 fiscal year. It was supposed to improve the services that community colleges provide. Community College Access Grants Fund allows students to earn college credit. With the purpose to stimulate good students and those who have decided to continue their education it was proposed funding to give them scholarships.


The other advantage was for workers. Even today there is a shortage of workers who received post-secondary education. Then the Fund allows making loans for older workers, workers transitioning to new jobs, and older workers pursuing a second career. It will help them to pay for short-term training. So, as the result, the amount of highly-qualified workers increases. Between 1990 and 2003, the proportion of the adult population 25 years of age and over with a bachelors degree increased from 21 percent to an all-time high of 27 percent.(3:8) No Child Left Behind Act was created with the purpose to fulfill several tasks: Requiring Accountability, Ensuring Funding and Flexibility for Schools to Improve, Giving Parents Options, Supporting Teachers including extra incentives for effective teachers and Reading First is the Key to Success. (Jamie, McKenzie) The President emphasized that all these task would be possible to fulfill if several points were changed or added to educational programs.


As it was said, first of all a new system of loans should be worked out. It causes flexibility for federal student aid programs. Then the strength should be concentrated on Early Learnin ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

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Essay Tags: child left, federal government, secondary education, teacher's, higher education

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