• Lesson Objectives
• Relevant National Standards
• Estimated Time
• Materials Needed
• Backgrounder for Teachers
• Assumed Student Prior Knowledge
• Teaching Strategy
• Assessment Suggestions
• Extension Ideas
• Related Resources
• About the Author

1. Brainstorm what could improve K-12 public education for students around the country.
2. Examine the basic components of the No Child Left Behind Act.
3. Assess the act's current impact.
4. Review arguments for and against the act.
5. Debate the No Child Left Behind Act from the perspective of those in favor and opposed to its policies.

Civics
Standard 3: Understands the sources, purposes, and functions of law, and the importance of the rule of law for the protection of individual rights and the common good.
Standard 13: Understands the character of American political and social conflict and factors that tend to prevent or lower its intensity.
Standard 14: Understands issues concerning the disparities between ideals and reality in American political and social life.
Standard 25: Understands issues regarding personal, political, and economic rights.

Language Arts
Standard 2: Uses the stylistic and rhetorical aspects of writing.
Standard 4: Gathers and uses information for research purposes.
Standard 7: Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of informational texts.
Standard 8: Uses listening and speaking strategies for different purposes.

Thinking and Reasoning
Standard 1: Understands and applies the basic principles of presenting an argument.
Standard 2: Understands and applies basic principles of logic and reasoning.

Estimated Time
Four to five 50-minute class periods (with time allotted for research outside of class).

Materials Needed

• Chart paper and markers
• Internet access, or copies of relevant pages

Backgrounder for Teachers
Presidential campaigns provide additional opportunities to examine the successes and failures of American public education and debate ideas for further improvement. With President George W. Bush seeking re-election, his education reform plan, No Child Left Behind, signed into law with bipartisan support, is under more scrutiny than ever. Is it working? Or would another leadership approach be more effective?

As the No Child Left Behind Act governs your daily professional activities, it probably doesn't need much introduction here. For a quick review of its major provisions and some perspectives for and against the act, please see the NOW WITH BILL MOYERS feature, Debating No Child Left Behind. The Related Resources section of this lesson also provides extensive links to information on No Child Left Behind. For an overview of Democratic presidential candidate ideas for education reform, please visit candidate Web sites. Education Week has also provided a grid summary of education ideas for all nine Democrats who were running for president, called The Democratic Contenders On Education.

[You may also want to tailor this lesson plan to the debate over school vouchers. NOW WITH BILL MOYERS has a page outlining the arguments on both sides of this plan, as well as a look at the recent Supreme Court ruling on the use of federal money for religious studies programs.]

Assumed Student Prior Knowledge
Students should have a basic understanding of the lawmaking process, as well as how key political parties and interest groups debate issues during elections.

Teaching Strategy

1. Ask students to list 5-10 things they believe would improve the ways schools function and students learn. Pair students and have them share and synthesize their lists. Invite each team to then share their ideas with the class. Chart the responses, grouping similar topics. For example, students may say that better school libraries or state-of-the art computers would improve education; these might come under a heading entitled "Academic Resources." For each category, engage students in brief discussion of how such improvements might be implemented.

2. Explain to students that some of the issues they raised are among those considered in the school reform movement, which is a catchall phrase for a number of national and state policies and programs designed to improve the ways schools function and students learn.

3. Write "NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND" on the chalkboard. Ask students to discuss what this term might mean in connection with education. Tell students that this is the actual name of the act governing American education today. Explain that it has been a controversial act and that its strategies to improve education in the U.S. will be a topic of debate during the 2004 presidential campaign.

4. Divide students into small groups. Instruct them to research the No Child Left Behind Act and identify its goals, components, performance and accountability standards, programs designed to enhance student and teacher performance, modes of implementation and assessment, and special target populations. A good place to start research is the NOW WITH BILL MOYERS feature Debating No Child Left Behind. The Related Resources section of this lesson lists additional Web sites containing information on No Child Left Behind. To organize research notes, students should create a chart with columns reflecting the above topics, and then draw several boxes under each topic for recording information.

5. Have each group share its information and, as a class, create a No Child Left Behind fact sheet that draws from their research. Students can distribute this fact sheet to teachers, peers, parents, etc.

6. Engage students in discussion about how this act relates to school reform and whether they believe it can achieve what it has been designed to do. What might some of the obstacles be? What is realistically required to put it into place? Have students conduct additional research to identify concrete examples of where and how it has and has not been effective. How would students characterize the current impact of No Child Left Behind?

7. Take a poll of students to determine who supports No Child Left Behind and who doesn't. Invite students to discuss the rationale that frames their stances. Tell students that they are going to debate the merits of No Child Left Behind from the perspective of either supporters or those offering a different national educational strategy.

8. Divide the class evenly into "No Child Left Behind" and "Alternative Education Reform Plans". Have students representing like ideas work in pairs to identify the pro and con arguments regarding No Child Left Behind and the alternative plans. Students should refer to their previous research from this lesson, candidate position statements on education (from candidate Web sites), and statements from other interested groups (i.e. teacher unions, parent groups, etc.) to prepare a written argument to refer to as they debate.

9. Pair students representing alternative educational plans and have each pair debate the issue and then submit written arguments.

Assessment Suggestions
Students may be assessed in several ways:

1. Students could create a questionnaire to test their peers' knowledge of school reform and the basic components of No Child Left Behind.

2. A teacher- or student-created rubric can be used to measure the level of student understanding of the No Child Left Behind, particularly how data and information are applied to their final debates.

3. Student research charts, fact sheets, and written debate arguments can be collected and graded.

4. Students may be assessed on their group involvement, as well as participation in class discussion.

Extension Ideas

1. Look up the appropriation level afforded to your state under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Discuss, based on your state's academic performance, the total number of students, and overall financial needs, whether students think the amount is sufficient to meet mandated goals. Refer to Appropriations for Title I and Title VI, No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, which gives amounts, in thousands, and type of appropriations by state or other area for 2000-01 and 2001-02. How do appropriation amounts for your state compare to the years before No Child Left Behind was signed into law?

2. Survey parents, teachers, school administrators, and/or students from neighboring schools to gauge their reaction to the No Child Left Behind Act.

3. Invite a panel of local elected officials and community advocacy organizations that both support and oppose the act to participate in a public discussion about No Child Left Behind.

4. Instead of the fact sheet mentioned in step 5 of the Teaching Strategy, create a booklet or brochure that outlines the No Child Left Behind Act and its merits and deficits. Students can distribute the pamphlet to interested parties.

5. Assume the role of parents, advocacy organizations, students, teachers and others whom the No Child Left Behind Act affects and debate its effectiveness and challenges as it relates to those specific interest groups.

6. Research and discuss historic education laws, such as Brown v. the Board of Education, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and Goals 2000: Educate America. What influence have these laws had on the U.S. educational system?

7. Write a letter to a local public official outlining an idea for school improvement and asking for assistance in bringing the idea to fruition.

8. Research the history of education in the United States, creating a timeline to reflect critical events and issues that influenced the educational system. Begin this study at the NOW WITH BILL MOYERS resource American Education History.

Related Resources
For further research on this topic, consider the following:

NOW WITH BILL MOYERS Features

Debating No Child Left Behind
A detailed discussion on the act's parameters and its merits and deficits, along with links to varying perspectives on its value and impact.

Debating School Vouchers
A detailed discussion about school vouchers from both sides, along with links to varying perspectives on its value and impact.

Locke v. Davey
A detailed discussion of the 2003 Supreme Court case and ruling regarding the use of federal scholarship funds to fund a religious studies program.

Education Resources Map
Listing of state education departments that provide information on funding initiatives and educational programs.

NOW Investigates: Was The "Houston Miracle" Really a Mirage?
This October 17, 2003 report examines allegations that Houston school administrators falsified school statistics to meet expectations while U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige was superintendent. Did accountability pressures create a climate that encouraged unethical behavior?

No Child Left Behind

The Back Page: No Child Left Behind
This Spring 2001 article by Dr. Roderick R. Paige, U.S. Secretary of Education, outlines Paige's priorities as he moves from school superintendent to head of the U.S. Department of Education.

Committee on Education and the Workforce: No Child Left Behind
This House of Representatives' committee provides news releases, fact sheets, letters, and speeches on No Child Left Behind reforms.

Education Commission of the States: No Child Left Behind
This database provides the day-to-day status of how state policies match up with No Child Left Behind requirements.

Education Week: No Child Left Behind
This overview of No Child Left Behind breaks out the provisions of the law, and includes information from those who support the law or have concerns. Links to many related articles are also provided.

NCLB: U.S. Faulted on Funding for Schools
This article, a reprint from the Boston Globe, describes bipartisan viewpoints on No Child Left Behind.

No Child Left Behind
U.S. Department of Education site that provides detailed information on No Child Left Behind.

No Child Left Behind: A Progress Report (December 2003)
EDUCATION WEEK delivers a year-end progress report on the states' effort to comply with the No Child Left Behind Act. Data tables are provided showing state-by-state progress. Related stories on No Child Left Behind are also listed.

President Bush, Secretary Paige Highlight After-School Services Available Under No Child Left Behind Act
This government press release highlights progress made under No Child Left Behind, as well as supplemental services available to support student achievement.

About the Author
From classroom instructor to an executive director, Michele Israel has been an educator for nearly 20 years. She has developed and managed innovative educational initiatives, taught in nontraditional settings in the U.S. and overseas, developed curricula and educational materials, and designed and facilitated professional development for classroom and community educators. Currently operating Educational Consulting Group, Israel is involved with diverse projects, including strategic planning and product development. Recent projects include online teacher materials for WETA Public Television's (PBS) AMERICAN VALOR and print and online materials for HORATIO'S DRIVE (WETA/PBS).