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Home > Blogs > Springfield Schools News and Issues > Archives > 2009 > February > 25
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
What’s in a name? No Child Left Behind
The often-lambasted No Child Left Behind Act may be adopting a new name.
New Secretary of Education Arne Duncan recently proposed renaming the law to shrug off negative associations of what one lawmaker called “the most negative brand in America” during NCLB’s reauthorization, the New York Times reports.
As one might imagine this has spurred several jokes, particularly in the blogosphere, as wisecrackers sarcastically propose new monikers.
It’s true that “No Child Left Behind” isn’t very popular, particularly with educators. But almost every educator I know would agree with NCLB’s noble goal - to ensure that all children, regardless of disability, socio-economic status, race, etc., receives an adequate education with the opportunity to succeed.
The sticking point is typically the definition of “success” - is that the same for every child? The implementation and some of the requirements are also heavily criticized.
“No Child Left Behind” is also inseparably linked to former President George W. Bush, the law’s champion, who, according to the Times, started using similar phrases as Texas governor in the 1990s. (There’s a statue of Bush signing it into law in Hamilton, Ohio, pictured above). Toward the end of his presidency, Bush had a pretty low approval rating, below 30 percent.
This wouldn’t be the first time an education law changed its name. “No Child Left Behind” is actually a descendant of the 1985 Elementary and Secondary Education Act, renamed “Improving America’s Schools Act of 1994” upon its reauthorization under former President Bill Clinton, although that name didn’t really catch on.
Do you think No Child Left Behind would benefit from a new name? Any suggestions?
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