Teachers' Views on No Child Left Behind: Support for the Principles, Concerns about the Practices

摘要

Teachers support the general principles underlying the No Child Left Behind legislation, especially the importance of improving the achievement of all children, including those from groups that have historically been neglected in many schools.rnThey also applaud the principle that strong action should be taken to improve the performance of failing schools. At the same time, teachers have a variety of concerns about the incentives implicit in NCLB and responses these incentives have evoked. The intensity of teachers' concerns about dysfunctional responses varies widely: some view NCLB as a positive, if awkward, instrument for improving American public education, while others see NCLB as dramatically damaging the quality of education provided to children, especially those attending schools under pressure to meet Adequate Yearly Progress. The variation in teachers' views is not surprising, given the different ways that states have implemented NCLB and the variation in the quality of resources-especially the quality of district- and school-based leaders-supporting teachers' efforts.