No child left behind and literacy: progress and pitfalls

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Marcy N. Roan (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Advisor
Carl Lashley

Abstract: As of this hour, America’s schools will be on a new path of reform, and a new path of results. (President George W. Bush, signing of NCLB, January 2002) The NCLB Act of 2001 was the federal government's attempt to improve the academic achievement for students, specifically in literacy. This study examined No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and the attempts to increase literacy achievement. The specific questions examined were: 1. What were the educational, policy, and political issues that NCLB set out to address? 2. What were the successes of NCLB, associated law, and policies in addressing literacy achievement? 3. What were the challenges associated with NCLB, associated law, and policies in addressing literacy aims? 4. What are the recommendations for policy creation aimed at supporting literacy proficiency? The study employed a policy analysis approach using Bardach’s 8-step method to investigate the research questions. The findings from this study yielded inconsistent literacy performance over time with continual gaps for students with disabilities and students from low-income families. The inconsistency of results leaves questions to linger about the federal strong-arm approach at the expense of the arts, science, and civics education. Future policy development recommendations include the development of a more extensive research base for initiatives aimed at improving results and more robust measures of evidence that align with knowledge of effective teaching and learning pedagogy.

Additional Information

Publication
Dissertation
Language: English
Date: 2018
Keywords
Challenges of NCLB, Literacy, NCLB, Successes of NCLB
Subjects
United States. $t No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
Literacy $x Study and teaching $z North Carolina
Reading $x Ability testing $z North Carolina

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