Public Education Today

“The mission of the No Child Left Behind Act is to ensure equal access to education and to promote educational excellence throughout the nation.”

— U.S. Department of Education

No Child Left Behind Act

On January 8, 2002, President George W. Bush signed into law the latest version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, usually referred to as the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. The No Child Left Behind Act calls for each state to:

• set minimum standards of academic achievement;
• measure student progress against those standards;
• hold students and educators accountable for meeting them.

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act calls for meaningful change in the culture of the educational system to a culture of achievement, professionalism, and results. The Strategic Plan focuses on performance and research-based teaching and accountability by focusing on six goals, each with several objectives

1. Create a culture of achievement
2. Improve student achievement
3. Develop safe schools and strong character
4. Transform education into an evidence-based field
5. Enhance the quality of and access to postsecondary and adult education
6. Establish management excellence

Does NCLB work?

As the No Child Left Behind Act comes up for reauthorization in 2007, many questions remain as to its effectiveness:

Read the concerns of the Public Literacy Committee of the National Council of Churches of Christ:

• "The Ten Moral Concerns in the Implementation of No Child Left Behind"
• FaithfulAmerica and The National Council of Churches USA’s Committee on Public Education and Literacy have created a Web page for people of faith to lift voices for justice in preparation for the scheduled 2007 reauthorization of the NCLB. Read “No Child Left Behind Act" Congressional Letter Campaign tackles 10 Moral Concerns.
• The Church and  Public Schools at the Close of the Twentieth Century is a policy statement of the National Council of Churches, U.S.A
• Questions on the No Child Left Behind Act for candidates in the 2008 federal elections

Read the Joint Organizational Statement on No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act.

Rule changes to NCLB by the U.S. Department of Education are a concession that the law is not working as it was intended to work. Yet these changes do not address the flaws in the law. Read The Unraveling of No Child Left Behind: How Negotiated Changes Transform the Law.

Read the Children’s Defense Fund study Educational Resource Disparities For Minority & Low-Income Children.

Every year, almost one-third of all high school students drop out — and nearly one half of all African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans.  Read more about the high school drop out epidemic.

Download ten suggested changes that speak to the Ten Moral Concerns about NCLB.

The Committee on Public Education and Literacy of the National Council of Churches of Christ sent an email to members of Congress expressing concerns about the No Child Left Behind Act and urging that significant reforms be made in the Act before it is reauthorized. Read the committee's concerns.

The Public Education Network believes an active, vocal constituency is the key to ensuring that every child in every community benefits from a quality public education. Over three years the group held public hearings to give students, parents and community leaders an opportunity to tell their side of the NCLB story. Read the report of their findings.

Read What Every Parent, Teacher, and Community Member Needs to know About No Child Left Behind by Elizabeth Jaeger, M.A.

A study guide is now available from the National Council of Churches Committee on Public Education and Literacy for the new book TESTED by Linda Perlstein. Use this resource to explore problems with the federal test-and-punish philosophy of education. Read about the study guide and download it.

Take action

Join the No Child Left Behind letter writing campaign

Persons of faith and conscience are demanding of our elected officials that together we address what we believe to be the ten moral concerns in the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act. Take action by participating in a letter writing campaign.

Download a bulletin insert on the No Child Left Behind Act.

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