Maybe take a look at NEA's take on the issue?

Try the ERIC digests -- ERIC is no longer up but much of the material is still around.

NCLB is generally vilified in my field. Because it emphasizes a couple of subject areas (math and literacy) in a narrow, skills-based, and recall-oriented fashion, rather than an interdisciplinary or holistic fashion, many museums have seen a decline in parts of their school audiences as teachers concentrate more on skill and drill and practice testing and spend less time on interdisciplinary units of study, such as social-studies or natural-history themes. They've heard from teachers that pressure resulting from the need to meet NCLB targets has openly or subtly discouraged them from taking field trips. Not only are school programs a museum's bread and butter, they're also one of the few experiential education opportunities many kids ever get.

Museums across the board experienced a general decline in all areas of visitation beginning in about 2000, 2001 and continuing, for many, at least through 2005. It's hard to know whether it's fair to blame NCLB alone for the portion of that resulting from lower school numbers. But we do hear it from teachers.

For some varied discussion of this, you could try looking into the discussion list archives of Museum-Ed and Museum-L. I couldn't link to my search on Museum-Ed, but there is discussion of NCLB if you use the search window.

I've read a lot concerning the NCLB Act's laws and requirements. I haven't read a whole lot of critiques or social commentary on the subject. I've stumbled across more opposition to NCLB rather than support.

I tend to be in favor of NCLB. I'm biased, because the NCLB Act has enabled my child school choice in a district that frowns against attending schools out of zone. Although, our choice was limited, which goes against the spirit of the law, but that's a completely different, and boring, story.

I've found the talks and articles at AEI to be balanced, even though AEI is a "conservative think tank". And "AEI has emerged as one of the leading architects of the second Bush administration's public policy." (Egad!) Again, perhaps I liked what AEI had to say because I mainly support NCLB. It definitely has some problems, but mostly I agree with the premise. You didn't ask for my opinion, but I thought I'd give it anyway. :)

You may find this article helpful. They're obviously proponents of the law.

I'm sure I have more sources (pro and con) saved somewhere. I'll hunt around.

I'm not sure why I used the phrase "social commentary", but you get my drift.

In talking to a couple of NYC school administrators recently, they said Good: graduation rates increased at disadvantaged schools, Bad: programs for gifted and exceptional students decreased.

Actually, the article I linked to above doesn't seem to be as biased as I had thought.

More articles:

No Child Left Behind: How to give It a Passing Grade

Perhaps not as relevant:

The Peculiar Politics of NCLB

OT, but my question is why are teachers having such a hard time teaching to a minimum level in math and literacy?

Have you seen one of these tests? They're easy as hell. What is the problem?

Thank you all for your input (and more input is always encouraged). I'll look at all the linked articles/sites tomorrow.

Lori, part of my problem is that I read through the pro-NCLB sites and understand why they're pushing the agenda they're pushing, but I feel like I'm missing half the story. Education policy is one of those areas where I feel like something needs to get done, but I have no idea what that "something" should be, and I don't trust the "somethings" that have been proposed. I have heard, however, that Florida is doing extremely well under Jeb Bush's policies, so I'm glad your kids are benefiting!

I'm just ranting, I know, but everything about NCLB reeks of "drown government in a bathtub."

Also, everyone I know who works with the most at-risk children in the field (both urban and rural) think it's BS. Vehemently. A lot of my acquantances in this respect are 40 (yes, 4-0) hour/week volunteers without careers on the line.

mischief -- Teachers and administrators can all be disfunctional, but many children are also coming from environments where they're struggling with issues way farther down on Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Doing your reading homework or concentrating in class is second fiddle to eating and getting sleep and avoiding abuse. Unlike private schools, public schools can't turn any kid away. Empower schools and districts and local communities to sweep out bad teachers and administrators and bring in good ones with competitive salaries. Empower teachers to address base problems in child care and teach children to their individual level and need. What good are standardized tests and cuts in funding going to do?

Empower schools and districts and local communities to sweep out bad teachers and administrators and bring in good ones with competitive salaries.

If it were only so easy to sweep out bad teachers.

I agree with Skwirl that there are many issues to contend with. NCLB places sanctions on schools that don't measure up. If you "fail" for five consecutive years, the school's faculty and administration is restructured and the school can be shut down.

Florida's assessment test, the FCAT, can also apply sanctions if the school isn't passing. I'm a fan of of accountability. I don't mind the FCAT, many teachers and parents despise it. But I don't like how teachers whip their selves and the students into a panicked frenzy over the FCAT. So much is riding on the FCAT that teachers freak themselves silly. Money is given to schools that do well on FCAT's.

Anyway, back to Skwirl's point. We all are aware of the many issues that teachers and schools cannot control. Family issues, abuse, drugs, neglect, little or no importance placed on learning or achievement. Many kids come into the school system that have never been read to. I can't control if the patients I take care of are compliant. I can't hold a gun to their heads and demand that they stop eating themselves into diabetic comas. It's a similar situation in public schools. It is said that the FCAT is an "all or nothing" test. Every child has to pass. Although, Florida recently passed a revision that minority students' scores can be exempt if they make up less than a certain percentage of the student population. What? Are we now going to not worry ourselves with these kids because they don't count toward the test? Probably not, but it makes me wonder.

Occhiblu, you may have seen this series done by the Washington Post.

More criticism of NCLB

Have you seen one of these tests? They're easy as hell. What is the problem?

At least in Texas, they are loaded with trick questions that mislead many to select the wrong answer. I was going over practice tests with my wife, a high school history teacher, and it took several minutes of reading the question through and eliminating options based on minute technicalities before getting to the right answer. Because all the answers given appear, at first blush, to be true, a kid worried about having enough time is likely to just check the All of the Above answer.

The other problem is that there is an inordinately high amount of effort trying to get those lowest kids to pass the damn test. The average kids are bored to tears, the bright kids get so exasperated that (teenagers being what they are), many of them purposely blow the test out of disgust.

School administration is so freaked out about trying to get EVERYONE to pass that they mandate days and even weeks of standardized test prep, during times when the actual cirrculum should be taught. So the cirrculum is hurried through or cut and the kids don't even get a chance to learn what they're supposed to learn.

My wife pushed back against all that this year by doing as little of the administration-mandated activity as possible. She taught her subject, and only briefly covered review from previous courses (here, the tests cover several years' worth of material). Her class did mediocre, but considering she had some of the worst students in the school, they exceeded expectations.

Too many teachers do the "right" thing by following orders and stressing the test. Paradoxically, stressing the test defeats the purpose of the test.

Oh, I also thought I would point out the irony of a Republican-led government pushing NCLB when a basic point of their philosophy is supposed to be small government and staying out of local affairs. Let the individual districts determine how best to teach their kids!

Oh, I also thought I would point out the irony of a Republican-led government pushing NCLB when a basic point of their philosophy is supposed to be small government and staying out of local affairs.

That's part of what's currently fascinating me about this topic -- the stuff I'm reading is strongly advocating national standards, and has explicitly said that many of the states and local school districts are fucking things up (and actually recommended doing away with local school districts and putting it all at the state level), but they're still paying lip service to how important local control is and how we can't step on states' toes.

Um, what?

I believe in national standards and in a nationalized education system. But I also count myself as a socialist, mostly. It's odd to see "states rights! Woo!" right-wing Republicans making a socialist argument and trying to pretend it's not a socialist argument.