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June 15, 2002
A Must-Know Web Guide for Administrators
By Carol S. Holzberg, Ph.D.
Looking for help in interpreting legislation or assisting with compliance? Check out the following resources.
No Child Left Behind (www.nclb.gov) The official NCLB Web site is a good place to begin your search for information about this far-reaching federal education reform legislation. In addition to providing HTML and PDF links to the full text of the NCLB Act, it offers links to legislation basics, details, and policy; an overview of the proposed reform; and a PowerPoint presentation of legislative highlights. You'll also find answers to frequently asked questions, plus options to read or subscribe to an electronic newsletter offering up-to-date information, events, and announcements about the law.
Technology Briefs for No Child Left Behind Planners (www.neirtec.org/products/techbriefs/index_html.asp) Recognizing the importance placed by NCLB on the role of technology in improving student academic achievement, NEIRTEC (Northeast and Islands Regional Technology Consortium) created a series of 14 technology briefs to assist NCLB planners. Topics include steps to increase accessibility, professional development, integration of technology curricula and instruction, and accountability measures. Download each technology brief individually or all of them together in a single Adobe PDF file. All NEIRTEC briefs address key issues to consider when developing new technology applications for teaching and learning. They also list effective integration strategies to help students (and teachers) become technologically literate.
Profiler Online Collaboration Tool (profiler.hprtec.org) NCLB enables schools to purchase technology hardware and software in support of research-based initiatives proven to help children learn. Profiler is a free online collaboration tool offered by the International Society for Technology in Education to assess the level of technology competence within a school or district. Other tools at the site allow registered administrators to customize online surveys to suit their own school or district needs.
Learning with Technology Profile Tool (www.ncrtec.org/capacity/profile/ profwww.htm) This tool, which helps measure indicators of high-performance technology, is available free for access from the North Central Regional Technology in Education Consortium and the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory.
The Art of Teaching: No Child Left Behind Act (www.teachervision.com/lesson-plans/ lesson-10287.html?wtlAC=tablinks,FENhome) Teachers and parents interested in learning more about the four areas of NCLB educational reform should visit this helpful, jargon-free Web site courtesy of Teachervision.com. Specific topics explored in detail include accountability for results, reducing bureaucracy and increasing flexibility, focusing resources on proven educational methods, and expanding choice for parents. There are also links to NCLB educational resources and opinion articles.
No Child Left Behind: What Will It Take? (www.edexcellence.net/NCLBconference/NCLBconferenceindex.html) At this site you'll find a collection of nine papers (in PDF or Word format) exploring key questions left unresolved by NCLB legislation. Accountability and testing are of primary interest. How do states, districts, and schools measure student progress toward proficiency? The papers offer a variety of creative (and often conflicting) solutions to meet NCLB legislative demands.
No Educator Left Behind (www.educationworld.com/a_ issues/archives/NELB.shtml) At this site you'll find answers to questions about the NCLB Act and its effect on educators. You'll also find information about teacher certification requirements, local school district costs to implement NCLB, paraprofessional certification requirements, impact of the law (if any) on students attending private schools, the definition of a "research-based instructional program," and more.
Best Practice in Mathematics: Using Test Results to Inform Instruction and Improve Student Achievement (www.enc.org/focus/data/document.shtm?input=FOC-003036-index) Accountability, accountability, accountability! The tests you give your students must address state, district, and school academic achievement standards in order to comply with NCLB. In this article, assessment consultant Donna J. Long explores how teachers can ensure that class test results influence the way they teach and evaluate their students. Long provides a sample class report for reference.
Legislative Handbook: No Child Left Behind Resources (www.nsta.org/nclb) Hosted by the National Science Teachers Association, this site provides science educators, department heads, supervisors, and others interested in K-12 science education with resources that can help them understand the law and the changes it effects. For example, you can click the link to the flow chart to determine if you're a "highly qualified" science teacher. To learn more about the law as it relates to science educators, click the link to the PowerPoint presentation. Summaries of legislative highlights and a teacher quality Q&A are also available.
Federal Influence Over Curriculum Exhibits Growth (www.edweek.org/ew/ewstory.cfm?slug=21curric.h22) This article by Kathleen Kennedy Manzo and David J. Hoff, which appeared in the February 5, 2003 issue of Education Week on the Web, raises serious concerns about the classroom role of the federal government. How does this role affect "instructional content, academic achievement standards and assessments, curriculum, or program of instruction?" You'll need to register to view article contents, but registration is currently free.
Illinois State Board of Education: No Child Left Behind (www.isbe.state.il.us/nclb/default.htm) Parents, educators, and community members interested in NCLB legislation as it relates to "new requirements, new incentives, and new resources" can visit this no-nonsense site offering links to NCLB highlights and a timeline for goals that must be met (2001-2014).
NGA Center for Best Practices: No Child Left Behind (www.nga.org/center/topics/1,1188,C_CENTER_ISSUE^D_3308,00.html) Sponsored by the Education Policy Studies Division of the National Governors Association, this site has summaries of NCLB legislation, latest regulations, advice, policy letters, and interviews with education experts. You'll find helpful timeline summaries, final Title I regulations, concerns about assessment requirements, and more. The site addresses issues primarily of interest to governors, but teachers, parents, and educational administrators will also find its numerous links and resources very valuable.
No Child Unrecruited (www.motherjones.com/news/ outfront/2002/45/ma_153_01.html) Mother Jones is a freethinking nonprofit publication that dares to question, prod, and even provoke. This time it is taking a closer look at the NCLB's Section 9528, "Armed Forces Recruiter Access to Students and Student Recruiting Information." That section states: "each local educational agency receiving assistance under this Act shall provide, on a request made by military recruiters or an institution of higher education, access to secondary school students' names, addresses, and telephone listings." Those concerned with the erosion of personal freedoms might want to visit this unconventional site to learn about a potential flaw in NCLB.
Carol S. Holzberg, Ph.D. is an anthropologist, educational technology specialist, and computer journalist in Massachusetts.
In a Nutshell
Approved on January 8, 2002, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 dramatically increases the federal government's role in four areas of K-12 education:
- accountability for what every child should learn in reading, math, and science (as reflected in test results);
- local control over federal education dollars;
- funding for teaching programs and methods that work; and
- parental options.
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