No Child Left Behind and Early Education: Prospects for 2008

Congressional leaders recently announced that they will not finish reauthorizing the No Child Left Behind Act -- the major federal law authorizing elementary and secondary education programs -- this year, but will continue working on reauthorization in 2008. This gives Congress a chance to revisit an issue that was largely ignored in this year's debate over NCLB reauthorization: early education for pre-school and early elementary aged youngsters.

Evidence shows that the foundations of children's future academic success or failure are largely in place by the end of third grade, and as much as half of the achievement gap between white and African American students exists before children enter first grade. Yet public debate on NCLB has focused little attention on the preschool and early elementary years. A new issue brief from the New America Foundation, 10 New Ideas for Early Education in the NCLB Reauthorization, explains why Congress must not ignore early education in NCLB reauthorization, and offers recommendations for how the law could better support children's learning in these critical years.

How can NCLB better support state and local efforts to improve preschool quality and access, as well as early elementary learning? What are the prospects for early education reforms, and No Child Left Behind reauthorization generally, when Congress takes these issues up again in 2008?

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• No
• Child
• Left
• Behind
• Education
• Reform
• Congress
• Politics
• Schools
• Children

[sammyBBes]

@ben524524 YES! type in counting to million , it's probs the first one :D

[TheObamasupport]

It has certainly failed you. Your teachers were so focused on "The majority or their students" that they failed to teach you how to spell. No insult intended.

[flamezoa]

i hear that

[slickl07]

wow this is boring....lol

[jhughes8487]

dose = does

[Deadlytrick]

They say preschool and early education is critical, yet. The Finnish who are the top ranked in the world:

1. Do not go to preschool

2. Don't start elementary education until 7 y/o

[dandacubsfan93]

whether the act has failed or not, chris, is debateable. overall 43 states and the district of columbia have either improved their scores or held steady in both reading and math and frankly, this shows that the majority of the U.S. has improved their test scores

[trent079]

No, you failed by 1 point. the fact that you want to blame others for it shows it must be right!

[Christopher52488]

the think about the no child left behind act is that bush signed it at my school back in 2002 so he made the OGT Ohio Graduation Test you have to pass 5 parts of it with 400 or above i failed one by 399 and i cant get my deploma for it thats why i hate this act because it has failed