Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Grading the Graders and Reforming the Reform: An Analysis of the State of Public Education Ten Years After No Child Left Behind

2011; Loyola Marymount University; Volume: 57; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

0147-9857

Jonathan C. Augustine, Craig Freeman,

Education Systems and Policy

Because of the public perception that schools hold the major obligation for educating children, schools tend to get the lion’s share of the blame for the achievement gap. It is not surprising then that when the nation looks to ways to reduce or close the gap, the major attention tends to be aimed at improving schools. Recent research has yielded a much clearer understanding of the extent to which and the ways in which school variables influence the achievement gap. The belief that good schools have a powerful impact on student achievement was the driving force behind the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. In 2001, for the first time in our nation’s history, closing the black-white achievement gap was determined to be of such importance to our national interest that it became a matter of federal policy. The purpose of the bill was clearly stated right up front on the title page: “To close the achievement gap with accountability, flexibility, and