Government Program NCLB Act Being Replaced By ESEA?

ESEA Replacing NCLB "No Child Left Behind"

Recently the National Education Association (NEA), the nation's largest teachers' union, has launched a $500,000 ad campaign urging lawmakers to reach a deal on the proposed ESEA legislation.  The new ESEA (Education and Secondary Education Act) calls for a replacing of the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act. This new ESEA will focus on more childhood education, resources for poorer students, less standardized testing, and equity in government funding to schools.  More information can be found here.

One major goal of the new ESEA is to close the achievement and opportunity gaps for students.  The act emphasizes improving education for children living in poverty, students with disabilities, and English-language learners.  The new ESEA has garnered a great amount of support from teachers, prinicipals, and parents, but we question if this act will actually close the gap between impoverished/English-language learners?

With more resources and funding given to schools to support less-fortunate students, the gap between students will most definitely begin to close, but we ask for how long?  Once the gap in between the impoverished and wealthy students closes in, it is likely the wealthier students will use their economical advancements to raise the gap again.  No matter how much funding and focus is given to the poorer students, the wealthier students will still have the advantage of seeking out more help through outside resources. 

The ESEA, if passed, will be a great step in providing better education for American students with its focus on smaller class sizes and less prep time for standardized testing.  It is unlikely though that it will be able to close the achievement gap between students. 

We at Tried & True Tutoring believe that every student should have an opportunity to succeed no matter what their financial or social background.  This is why we provide services to students of all ranges of economical and social backgrounds.  We provide free online practice exams and offer a wide array of classes that suit most students needs.  For more information on our free services, check out our website.

We look forward to helping each student succeed and giving opportunities for all!