Introduction
This child Act ensures that every child has a fair and equal opportunity to access high quality education. This act first enacted in 1965 following recertification of the secondary and elementary Act in 1964 and became a law in 2002 signed by President Bus. This law was a way for the federal government to flag an aid program for disadvantaged students. The Act presents information concerning protection of children’s privileges, and the challenges faced in terms of implementing this Act.
What the No Child Left Behind Act Protects
This Act protects students with disabilities, and those in public schools. The students with disabilities include blind students. The Act ensures that the students are equipped with learning materials like the Braille version for the blind students. This enables students to participate in the same level, as their classmates who are not visually impaired (Oliver, 69). The other groups of students protected by this law are students with hearing and language impairments, students with intellectual impairments, and the ones with emotional disturbance and autistic students. This Act allows students with disabilities participate meaningfully in the regular standardized tests, carried out in schools to ascertain their individual performance. The tests identify students who perform poorly, and the reasons for the poor performance by the students.
This child Act also protects the rights of students who are mentally retarded, and those with developmental delay. It guards the performance of students in their specific classes without or with the help of approved modifications or accommodations (Brown 200).
This Act ensures that other students do not discriminate against, students with disabilities. It follows the progress of these students in the various schools they are enrolled. This is by conducting a census on their academic performance. These are the census held to determine a schools or a student’s yearly performance (AYP). They determine schools or districts that are in need of improvement in terms of facilities needed to improve performance.
This child Act makes it possible for the privacy rights of a student to be respected. Some parents do not want the performance of their kids to be publicized; therefore, they request the information not be handed over to the military. Otherwise, the information concerning a child is turned over to the military, if the parents or the guardians agree. The privacy of a student is partaken by making sure that no other personal information about the student is given to the military, except the basic information like the student’s name and gender (Hardman, 89). This applies in a case where the parents or guardians of the child asked that the detailed information about the student be kept confidential.
The detailed information includes the extracurricular activities of the student, the student’s disciplinary council, his or her scholastic achievements, and the grades of the student. This should be kept private unless the parents want the information to be disclosed to the military. Potential recruitment firms with permission from the school; however, can access this information.
The Act’s main objective is to protect the rights of disabled students, and students from a poor background since they face substantial challenges in their existence within the populace. Learning for them is a struggle because they need special attention, and even specific materials in their learning classes. Some public schools do not have these materials; this is where the NCLB Act comes to their rescue (Jacob, 101). It provides these materials to the schools to aid the disabled students. NCLB ensures there are enough clinics in the learning places of the students. The clinics make it possible for the teachers to access health facilities in cases of an emergency. The NCLB Act ensures safety in schools; this is by collecting information about drug use, and safety in schools. The information gathered on schools is then assessed through continual monitoring on the schools.
NCLB Act comes up with support programs in schools to prevent violence. They provide funds for the programs, and evaluate them for effectiveness. Students who are still unsafe, despite the installation of the programs are given an opportunity to choose a school that will give them the security they need. The school has to be a public school. The NCLB Act conducts a series of tests to students (Berkhart, 201). This provides an independent insight on the performance of independent students.
This information on the student’s performance ensures that no child regardless of his or her ethnic group, race, gender or family income is trapped in a consistently poor performing school. The tests conducted on students are on, science, language and arts. The assessment on a student’s ability to read is conducted in grade 3 through to grade eight, and at least once during grades 10 and 12.
On the issue on public schools, the child Act has a program on charter schools. These are public schools independently designed, and operated by parents, educators, community leaders, and educational entrepreneurs. The schools are a learning option for students whose schools have been identified for corrective action, restructuring and improvement. This is because they offer a viable alternative to public schools by providing an expanded educational program. This makes it possible for the students to continue with their curriculum (Olivert 14)
The NCLB Act ensures that the teachers hired to teach children in public schools and district schools are qualified. They should have full certification and hold a bachelor’s degree in education. They need to demonstrate competence in subject knowledge and teaching. The Act also provides federal funding to states and districts for activities that will strengthen teacher quality in all schools especially destitute schools. The NCLB Act helps improve the reading skills of children.
The reading first program was designed to help every young student become a successful reader. Students in public schools are relatively disadvantaged (Banks, 58). They are many in number but the teachers are few and in some cases unskilled. The students lack enough reading materials. This Act ensures they have everything they need and provides the best teachers for the students. This law is an effective way to improve academic performance of schools and students.
Challenges faced by the No Child Left Behind Act
The child Act has its share of challenges in terms of funding and critics opposing its implementation. Some critics say the Act is more political than educational. They argue that politicians use this Act to their advantage (Allen, 102). They pretend to care about the people this Act protects, but all they care about is their political ambition. Accessibility is a challenge for some public schools given their location. This makes it hard for materials to reach them. Some students do not get a chance to attend schools or classes because they are left locked in the house by their parents due to their disabilities. Such students do not get a chance to exploit their full potential. They see themselves as stigma in the society, and end up feeling ashamed of themselves.
The teachers or parents can sue the education department in the event that the allocated funds for this Act are not provided, which affects the government. For this law to be effective it needs to cover a large number of students. When critics give the public false information concerning this law, it affects the number of students being registered in public schools. Registering a low number of students makes the low to fail its purpose. In cases where this law has been enacted in a school but the performance of the school is not impressive, the government might send experts to work with the school or take over the school. This results in the closure of the school or the government withdrawal from funding the school (Allen 20).
Conclusion
The child Act benefits students in public schools, and students who are challenged mentally or physically by protecting their individual rights. The act has its share of negative sides and the positive sides. The central part is that it seeks to improve the learning environment of students. This is with disregard to their gender, race and economic background. Students with disabilities have been given a chance to exploit their full potential. For the law to achieve its intended purpose, the federal government should provide the needed funds, and a number of public schools need to be covered.
Works Cited
Allen, K E, Glynnis E. Cowdery, and Jennifer M. Johnson. The Exceptional Child: Inclusion in Early Childhood Education. Belmont, Calif: Wadsworth Pub. Co, 2012. Print.
Banks, James A. Multicultural Education: Issues and Perspectives. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley, 2010. Print.
Berkhart, Paul H. No Child Left Behind: Issues and Developments. Hauppauge, N.Y: Nova Science Publishers, 2007. Print.
Brown, Frank, and Richard C. Hunter. No Child Left Behind and Other Federal Programs for Urban School Districts. Amsterdam: Elsevier JAI, 2006. Print.
Hardman, Michael L, Clifford J. Drew, and M W. Egan. Human Exceptionality: School, Community, Family. Australia: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2011. Print.
Jacob, Susan, Dawn M. Decker, and Timothy S. Hartshorne. Ethics and Law for School Psychologists. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley, 2010. Print.
Olivert, Damian P. No Child Left Behind Act: Text, Interpretation, and Changes. New York: Nova Science Publishers, 2007. Print.