"No Child Left Behind" Fails -- More Evidence

Congress has just 13 days left to reauthorize the deceptively named No Child Left Behind Act. If they've been reading this blog, our Congresspeople will already know that they should vote against wasting any more time or tax dollars on this sham education law.

But don't take my word for it; see Neal McCluskey and Andrew J. Coulson, Cato Institute, "The Failures of No Child Left Behind," Courier-Journal.com (Louisville, KY), 2007.09.13. McCluskey and Coulson offer a stinging indictment of NCLB. Their basic conclusions:

We find that No Child Left Behind has been ineffective in achieving its intended goals, has had negative unintended consequences, is incompatible with policies that do work, is at the mercy of a political process that can only worsen its prospects, and is based on premises that are fundamentally flawed.

We further conclude that NCLB oversteps the federal government's constitutional limits -- treading on a responsibility that, by law and tradition, is reserved to the states and the people. We therefore recommend that NCLB not be reauthorized and that the federal government return to its constitutional bounds by ending its involvement in elementary and secondary education.

McCluskey and Coulson cite numerous studies, including a damning study by Jaekyung Lee, (Graduate School of Education, SUNY-Buffalo), published in June 2006 by Harvard University's Civil Rights Project. McCluskey and Coulson summarize Lee's findings:

1. NCLB does not appear to have had a significant impact on improving reading or math achievement. Average achievement remains flat in reading and grows at the same pace in math as it did before NCLB was passed. In grade four math, there was a temporary improvement right after NCLB, but it was followed by a return to the pre-reform growth rate.
2. NCLB does not seem to have helped the nation and states significantly narrow the achievement gap. The racial and socioeconomic achievement gap in NAEP reading and math persists after NCLB. Despite some improvement in reducing the gap in math right after NCLB, the progress was not sustained.
3. NCLB's attempt to scale up the alleged success of states that already had test-driven accountability programs does not appear to have worked. It neither enhanced the earlier academic improvements seen in some of those states nor transferred them to other states.

When the Bush Adminstration (or Governor Rounds, or Secretary Melmer) claims that NCLB is boosting student performance, it's like claiming NCLB helps the sun come up. The sun rose every day before NCLB; it will keep rising after we let NCLB die.

So call Stephanie, Tim, and John, send them the links above, and tell them to vote NCLB down or, better yet, don't even let it come to the floor. We have a golden opportunity to reform education by getting rid of legislation. Let's make it happen!