The state and federal government must significantly improve the No Child Left Behind Act for the initiative to have a positive effect on Connecticuts schools, according to a new report released today.
The report was announced by the Legislative Advocacy Clinic at Yale Law School and Connecticut Voices for Children.
The No Child Left Behind Act is a controversial federal law that sets strict student and school performance requirements for schools that receive federal money.
ғNo Child Left Behind has the potential to improve education for Connecticut’s students, but to do so the law must be adapted to account for the needs and realities of the educators on the ground, said Eliza Leighton, a member of the Legislative Advocacy Clinic, which wrote the report.
The report combined the first-ever statewide survey of superintendents and principals on this issue with site visits and in-depth interviews with school staff in four representative school districts across the state—New Haven, West Hartford, Meriden and New Milford.
The Legislative Advocacy Clinic is part of the Yale Law Schools Jerome N. Frank Legal Services Organization, which provides students and faculty-led representation to individuals and organizations throughout Connecticut who cannot afford private attorneys.
The Connecticut Voices for Children is a statewide, research-based policy and advocacy organization committed to promoting leadership, policy change, and investments to enable all ConnecticutҒs children and youth to achieve their full potential.
Among the highlights of the report:
—The acts measures of ғAdequate Yearly Progress in educational performance are fundamentally flawed because they fail to track students over time, they set unrealistic requirements, and they do not fairly assess the performance of special education or English Language Learning students.
Almost all superintendents (88 percent) expressed concerns that the Adequate Yearly Progress measures are not ԓappropriate and achievable.
The act requires schools to compare one yearԒs students to the previous years studentsҒ performance, rather than tracking the same students over time. Administrators expressed concern about this lack of longitudinal tracking,Ӕ the report said.
In interviews and in a written survey, many educators expressed concerns about the tests appropriateness for special education students, who are evaluated using the same measures and criteria as other students, according to the report.
Another concern was the lack of translated versions of standardized tests for English Language Learning (ELL) students, as well as the short time frame within which English language learners are expected to take the tests in English.
—The act’s requirements for teacher and paraprofessional qualifications are inflexible, relying too heavily on formal certification and degrees rather than actual classroom performance.
Almost two-thirds of superintendents (64 percent) did not agree that NCLB would lead to an improvement of the quality of the teacher workforce over time, the report said.
Administrators often found fault with the implicit assumption that certification is equivalent to qualification, the report said.
—The sanctions schools face under the act— in particular the sanctions related to not meeting Annual Yearly Progress goals and the labeling of schools as ғin need of improvement and staff as ԓnot highly qualified”—are more likely to hurt rather than help improve student achievement.
More than three-quarters of superintendents (86 percent) said that the sanctions were not consistent with their efforts to raise student achievement, and more than two-thirds (70 percent) said that the sanctions would hurt, rather than help schools labeled as in need of improvement,Ӕ according to the report.
—The federal government has not adequately funded many provisions of the act, and its full implementation will prove quite costly at the school district level.
Almost every superintendent surveyed (97 percent) agreed that the federal government has not provided Connecticut with adequate funds to meet NCLBs requirements, the report said.
They reported that the NCLB requirements would impose ғsubstantial costs on their school districts for test administration (58 percent), record-keeping (58 percent), school choice transportation (45 percent) and supplemental services (50 percent).
A majority of principals (60 percent) indicated that the act has diverted funds from extracurricular activities such as music, drama, athletics, and clubs.
One third of principals (34 percent) reported that the act has taken resources away from academic support services, such as after-school tutoring.
ԓWithout additional federal dollars, school districts will either have to seek additional state and local funds and/or divert existing resources from other school services and activities that are important to the healthy growth and development of our children and youth, said Shelley Geballe, co-president of Connecticut Voices for Children.
ԓWe must change the assessment measures and enhance the funding to make this law helpful instead of counter-productive, said Avni Gupta, a member of the Legislative Advocacy Clinic.
ԓPolicymakers at both the federal and state level have a responsibility to make the necessary repairs to this act.
The report calls for some specific changes to state and federal laws and regulations to remove these obstacles and transform No Child Left Behind from a tool of punishment to one of progress, according to a press release announcing the report’s findings.
The report, ԓEarly Changes, Enduring Challenges: Connecticut Educators Speak Out About the Impact of the No Child Left Behind Act,” is available at www.ctkidslink.org.
