Chapter 5: NCLB: Its Problem, Its Promise

Editor’s Note: Submitted for reprint by Antonia Cortese, executive vice president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT).

The AFT has long championed the principles underlying the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), the reauthorized Elementary and Secondary Education Act: high standards for all children, with appropriate tests to measure whether the standards are being met; disaggregation of student achievement data; “highly qualified” teachers and well trained paraprofessionals in every classroom; and, extra support for students and schools performing below proficient levels.

Title I, the cornerstone of NCLB, represents the federal government’s commitment to raising the achievement of students in high-poverty schools . NCLB was passed in 2001 with broad bipartisan support, largely based upon the administration’s promise of significant increases in funding. But President Bush has reneged on that promise, and experience has shown that the goals of NCLB cannot be met without changes in the law, proper implementation and the necessary funding.