NCLB

The No Child Left Behind Act is supposed to be a good thing for schools. When you simply hear about it, it does seem like a good plan. A plan that makes sure that kids are all learning the same thing and need to pass tests in order to show they know it sounds like a good thing. The problem is it is not as good as it sounds. Yeah the idea seems like a good idea, but when you really think about it there are problems. One thing i feel is a problem is that some kids are just bad test takers. This whole act is based on standardized testing and if some kids are not good at testing chances are those kids will never really do well on the test. Another thing that is wrong with this act is it is forcing teachers to teach for the test. The teachers have limited time to be creative with kids and branch off into different things because they have to make sure their kids know the material for the tests. Yes, know the stuff you need to know to take these tests are important, but when a teacher has to make sure everything gets covered by a certain time in a certain way it leaves them now time to do other things with the kids. Sometimes open discussions about things that are not exactly in the curriculum can help kids learn better, but teachers cannot do things like that because they have to make sure they teach for the test. No Child Left Behind is something that is forcing kids through school which is not letting them get the other information outside of the testing information that they need in order to be successful. It is a good idea, but it needs to be changed in order to fit students better and not just push them through school.

What is the role of public education in creating citizens?

I feel public education does play a role in creating citizens. When you think about it young kids spend more time in school then they do at home with their parents. Since kids spend so much time in school with teachers, it should be part of their jobs to make sure the kids they are teaching are becoming responsible and good citizens. Kids need to learn the laws of the world and how to interact with other people in school. Kids also need to learn how to be open minded. In the world we live in today, we need citizens who have an open mind, and who can listen to different ideas. Things in our world are so diverse. There are so many different kinds of people in the world who have so many different ideas and ways of doing things. Kids need to learn that that is ok. Kids need to learn that being different or doing something a different way than you might do it yourself is not a bad thing. There are so many adults today who do not think that. This is why kids today should be taught in school how to interact with people who are different from how they are. A society that is always changing needs to have citizen that can change along with it. If kids can learn at a young age how to treat people and get along with people who are different they will have a better chance at living a good life, because most of life is based on interactions with other people. If a kid learns to listen to peoples ideas and be able to see where a person is coming from even if they do not agree with it themselves, that is what will make them a good citizen.