No Child Left Behind Taking Toll On U.S. Schools

There are aproximatly 98,916 public schools in the U.S.,and according to a new report from the Center on Education Policy, 38 percent of ALL U.S. SCHOOLS have missed the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) AYP testing standards. This is up five percentage points from 2009. Arne Duncan, the Secretary of Education has said, “as many as 82% of schools could be labeled as failing for the current school year.”

Other stand out statistics from the report are as follows:

• The District of Columbia’s school district failed the AYP standards by 91 percent.
• Eight-six percent of Florida schools are considered unsuccessful.
• In some states, changes in the number of schools not making AYP are largely attributable to changes in the cut scores defining proficient performance on state tests.
• Even if most or all states adopt common standards and common assessments, variations in state accountability policies could continue to make it impossible to arrive at meaningful comparisons about the performance of different states.

The President feels Duncan’s claim that 84% of U.S. schools could be labeled as failing is unlikely. The Department of Education has fired back, and  stand by their analysis and this is just one more reason why the NCLB needs to be rewritten this year.

There are ways to get better education nationwide. It starts with great teaching, and there are a number of great teachers already around the U.S. So why are the numbers so bleak?  Could it be lack of motivation on the students’ part? Could it be teachers are feeling the budget cuts and are over worked? There are numerous reasons, but test scores are not the way to measure student achievement. In McPherson, Kansas, Arne Duncan has seen change, and has allowed a waiver to NCLB to the entire school district in McPherson.

In partnership with Quantum Learning and ACT, Inc., McPherson USD developed the C³ – Citizenship, College and Career Readiness plan that contains measures in the three areas of emphasis. McPherson is not the only district in America using Quantum Learning methodologies to change how their students learn and teachers teach. One of the reasons why Quantum Learning trained teachers are so effective is because they learn the “why” behind great teaching, by learning the way our brains develop and retain information.

Below is a video from teachers, students and administrators from three different school districts that have fully implemented Quantum Learning in their schools. We might not be the only solution, but we are a great solution.

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