No Child Left Behind - Who’s Getting Rich
Jun 29th 2008boybermReference and Education
The “No Child Left Behind” law (NCLB), signed by President George W. Bush on January 8, 2002 has shifted the way schools must deal with their student population. While the verdict is still out on whether or not the NCLB is beneficial for schools around the country, one must still ask the question, does that even matter? After all, are schools developed to benefit the schools themselves or the students that occupy them? Several states are now taking issue with the NCLB, stating that they are losing money as a result of this law. Before we get exasperated with our current President however, remember that the initial intention of NCLB was pure. With schools failing to reach federal standards across the country, something had to be done, subsequently, for the first time in the history of education a level of accountability was being implemented nationwide. Tying results to the bottom line seemed to be a good idea.
NCLB has had 4 years to produce results and even now many states are not in agreement with the current administration on the effectiveness of this new law. “Utah’s legislature passed a bill giving state education law priority over NCLB, even though the decision could cost the state more than $76 million in federal funding. Colorado also allows local districts to opt out of NCLB without incurring penalties from the state” according to Ellen R. Delisio (Education-World.com, 2005).
More states are following suit in fighting NCLB and the Federal Government. The focus seems to be on the fact that the Federal government has given states a mandate but has not funded the states with enough money to implement this mandate. A perfect example of this shortfall is in Connecticut where officials recently ascertained that full execution of NCLB will cost the state $41.6 million more than the state receives from the federal government through fiscal year 2008. (Education-World.com, 2005)
Connecticut has filed a law suit to fight against NCLB; that suit is pending. The fact is that schools in Connecticut repeatedly perform higher on annual standardized tests. However, there are significant pockets of failure among minority children, which is why NCLB was instituted, to make sure quality education was provided for ALL students in all areas. Civil rights leaders have taken a strong stance in the fight, stating that the Connecticut law suit is “ill-advised” and will only hurt the children.
The list of schools that have been labeled as failing was released on September 1st In Arizona 13 east valley schools have failed under the NCLB guidelines. Reportedly 21% of Arizona schools failed to meet “adequate yearly progress,” this number increased 3 percentage points from ‘04. All the information seems to point towards our school system moving backwards. Yet despite reports that showed 21% of Arizona schools had not made “adequate progress”, SAT scores for students in Arizona hit an all-time high.
Since the inception of NCLB a new industry has exploded. Within the last 4 years a multitude of educational companies, close to 1800, have found their way onto a multitude of our states Supplemental Education Services (SES) providers lists (ASU news release, 8/29). The most prominent of these companies produce millions of dollars in revenue and have created a niche market, operating on the failure of schools to reach their disengaged students. While the 1800+ companies have developed SES programs, Newton Learning (reported between 80,000 - 90,000 SES students in ‘04) and Sylvan Learning (reported approx. 70,000 SES students in ‘04) have consistently been fighting for the top spot. These programs are free to the students and yet are generating millions of dollars, tax payer dollars, for the companies operating them. The fight for student numbers in these programs is fierce. These companies are aggressively pursuing student populations for enrollment into their programs for pure profit.
The fact is that one student attending an SES provider program generates approximately $1500 per semester of attendance. This fee yields these companies millions of dollars and takes those dollars directly from the schools. Millions of taxpayer dollars are leaving the schools and going into the pockets of private sector companies, all under the guise of helping students improve their academic position. Some companies have produced statistical data to prove their programs are better than others. Numbers don’t lie. Or do they? Statistics are easy to use and manipulate to prove whatever your objective is. Are the students really benefiting?
Some SES providers are profiting so much that they can afford to offer incentives to the students for attendance. There are students across the country receiving incentives equaling $100 for perfect attendance. The profit is so significant that SES providers can pay their staff, develop and purchase materials, create marketing materials and offer student’s incentives to participate in their program.
Is it no wonder why tax payers refuse to vote in favor of school bonds across the country? With millions of dollars leaving the schools and going into the private sector, why do we think that taxpayers, already feeling taxed to death, would offer more cash to the seemingly bottomless pit of education? The new push is for parents to obtain outside education assistance for students. This year parents are expected to spend $2.5 billion dollars nationwide on additional academic tutoring. This can’t be the answer. Why can’t the students learn the necessary information within the same school day as their parents and grandparents before them?
So what is the solution? No one has come up with a solution that works. One has to question whether taking millions of dollars from the current school system is the answer. The fact that students are not being given the basic level of education necessary across the board is not acceptable. The question is how do we redesign an entire educational system to produce success?
Let me give you something to ponder over the next few months as the whole NCLB situation plays itself out across the country. The problem is not the teachers, or the principles within the schools, it is simply an issue of systems. The system is not working and yet we hold onto it like in time it will get better. Our current educational system is antiquated and it is not reaching the current clientele. What about taking some of the millions of dollars that are finding their way into privately held multi-million dollar companies and disperse that to the instructors that are creating an atmosphere conducive to learning? Why not look to reward instructors for finding ways to reach their population? The fact is that teaching is one of the lowest paid professions in the world. It’s time we took notice of that and kept the money in the schools and rewarded those instructors that are gaining ground and reaching their student populations, while providing specified trainings for those that are failing to reach their students.
Scott Lovely is the founder of Generation X Consulting
Tags: education, NCLB, No Child Left Behind, President Bush, SES, Supplemental Education Services, teacher