On December 9th, the US Senate voted 85-12 to replace the No Child Left Behind law enacted during Bush's presidency, replacing it with the Every Student Succeeds Act. Instead of having a national standard, states now have the power to determine how poorly performing schools can be improved. Obama signed a new legislation that would give about $26 billion annually to the states, leaving the states to determine how to use the funds to improve their education systems. Under the new bill, states will still be required to test students yearly in grades three through eight and once in high school, but states will be held accountable for improving school quality. The bill also bars the federal government from giving the states incentives to use any specific learning standards, removing some federal oversight.
Questions:
Critics claim that without pressure from the federal government, the states will feel little need to make significant changes to the school systems; do you agree? Why or why not?
Most 2016 presidential candidates either voted against the bill or chose not to vote; what do you think it says about the bill and Obama's decision to implement it shortly before the end of his term?
Article:
http://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-senate-votes-to-replace-no-child-left-behind-law-1449678245
I believe there would be greater rifts between the education of different states because of the different standards different regions expect. There would be no standard to compare themselves to. On the other hand, it's hard to predict because there are people who are naturally competitive and self motivated. It may just be a test to see how much self motivation there will be in the absence of force. The lack of voting or negative votes show that people are unsure of whether this bill will be a good thing. They don't want to be caught up with a bill that may not be popular.
ReplyDeleteWhile I honestly dislike the current educational system set forth by the No Child Left Behind Act, I feel like there does need to be some governmental pressure to improve education. Trusting all 50 state governments to spend its education budget is highly unlikely. The fact that Obama waited until now to pass this bill obviously means he is willing to input more of his own political beliefs into legislation, as he no longer has to consider reelection.
ReplyDeleteWhile I like the fact that the federal government is allowing the states more freedom to decided how their schools should best be improved according to their states standards and student performance levels, I think there should be some governmental pressure to aid the states to improve their systems. It is hard to predict whether the states will truly implement immediate changes or will sit back and wait with a huge sum of money on their hands.
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ReplyDeleteSome states may not feel the need to improve their education, however I think other states where the demographics tend to favor education reform will use the federal grant to its full use. Like Aina said, I think that the fact many voted against or chose not to vote shows that generally, people are unsure of the bill. I am sure Obama knew this and chose to push this piece of legislation now, when he is at the end of his presidential career.
ReplyDeleteSome states may not feel the need to improve their education, however I think other states where the demographics tend to favor education reform will use the federal grant to its full use. Like Aina said, I think that the fact many voted against or chose not to vote shows that generally, people are unsure of the bill. I am sure Obama knew this and chose to push this piece of legislation now, when he is at the end of his presidential career.
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I don't think that without pressure from the federal government, the states will feel little need to make significant changes to the school systems. Education is important, and I'd like to think that by now all the states know that and value education, especially with our rapidly evolving society. While there may not be a national standard to compare oneself to with this new bill, I think this new program is healthier for students, their mental health, and will also give states the opportunity to invest in better educational programs within their states. While I can see how some people believe that with the states having full control over their educational systems, things can potentially go awry, I believe that this change can be for the better. As for how the candidates voted, this bill is new. We've had the no child left behind law in place since Bush was president. Change hasn't always come easy in the US, especially with something as significant as this. So it is understandable how candidates would either opt out of voting or voted against the bill. Because if this bill goes wrong, then the candidates positions and rankings could be jeopardized.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the US government needs to be in charge of education reform. They are the only one's who have any authority over the states and the states have proven that education isn't working (if you need further prove, please look at the article that discusses some US citizen's decision to bomb a fictional Arabic country). Education is our future but if we choose not to invest in education in an effective way (so not no kids left behind) we will have just wasted more time and money. We should probably start at the college level by making schools more accessible to the masses.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the US government needs to be in charge of the education of children across america. The have complete power over all states thoughts about the education the the children are getting. I like that no child is left behind and several other acts that they have performed. I think that the federal government should help the states grow their educational systems. I am not sure how fast Obama can implement his bill but I feel like it will be shortly after.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the US government needs to be in charge of the education of children across america. The have complete power over all states thoughts about the education the the children are getting. I like that no child is left behind and several other acts that they have performed. I think that the federal government should help the states grow their educational systems. I am not sure how fast Obama can implement his bill but I feel like it will be shortly after.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the No Child Left Behind Act did not accomplish what it was supposed to accomplish. But with this being said having no pressure from the government does not seem like it will accomplish much either. Taking away the national standard, in my opinion, will allow students to learn and succeed in different ways. The current national standards is like testing a bird, a chicken, and a fish on their ability to fly and then calling the fish stupid because it cannot do that task. I believe that while there should be pressure from the government there should also be freedom in how different states test and educate their schools.
ReplyDeleteI also believe that Obama's choice in enacting this act so close to the end of his term shows that he is not fully behind this act and wants the future President to deal with it.
I agree that without federal oversight, states will not be pressured into improving the education of their students. Although this new bill will give more flexibility towards the states, I believe that most states will not put education as a priority. What also worries me is that some of the presidential candidates did not decide to comment on this bill. I believe that education is extremely important and for these presidential candidates to not even consider it important enough to comment on makes me worry for the future of education in the US.
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