Chapter 3: Growth and Development of Children

In 2002, a new era in educational accountability reform was launched with the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. This new version, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), altered the politics of education (DeBray-Pelot & McGuinn, 2009) and significantly complicated the choices school and school system leaders must wrestle within fostering the growth and development of children (Travers, 2009), such as equity versus excellence and eliminating fine arts and electives versus keeping these courses for students. As the reauthorization cycle for the Elementary and Secondary Education Act begins again, it is important that we look at the perceptions superintendents and principals held about educating the whole child while implementing school improvement mandates (narrowly defined as making schoolwide gains on quantitative tests) at the dawn of the 21st century. Specifically, this legislation impacted superintendents’ and principals’ perceptions about how they could meet the stated purpose of education to meet federal mandates and educate the whole child. The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (2005)Position Statement on the Whole Child called for schools to utilize a comprehensive approach for student learning that not only emphasizes academic skills but also recognizes students’ emotional and physical health, civic mindedness, engagement in the arts, motivation, preparation for the workforce, economic self-sufficiency, and readiness for the world beyond their own borders. Hence, the predominant view of educators was that student success is more comprehensive than what high-stakes assessments are designed to measure. However, what gets measured gets the attention of teachers, school administrators, local and state education officials, parents, and community members.