No Child Left Behind: Giving Voice to Teachers of Young Children

Document Type

Article

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Journal of Educational Research and Policy Studies

Volume

9

Issue

2

Publisher

American Educational Research Association

Publication Date

2009

Abstract

No Child left Behind (NCLB), now being considered for reauthorization, may be one of the most significant education policies ever enacted by the federal government. The purpose of this inquiry was to understand the lived experiences of K-3 teachers since NCLB was signed into law in 2002. The data source was focus group interviews with 39 K-3 teachers, from seven school districts in four states. Data were analyzed inductively; verification strategies were employed. The findings suggest that participants felt the intent of NCLB was admirable, but that the law was not achieving its intended goal. Teachers noted the positive impact of increased resources for teaching reading. They raised concerns related to meeting the needs of young children given curricular mandates, and the negative effects of high-stakes testing. While they deemed accountability to be important, they felt restricted control over their actions in their own classrooms created an unfair condition for accountability. (Contains 1 table.)

Comments

Originally published by American Educational Research Association.

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