No Child Left Behind and the Lowering of School Standards Argumentative Essay by Top Papers

This paper argues that, despite its good intentions, the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) only succeeds in lowering school standards, meaning it does not bolster the proficiency of students. According to the paper, the reason for this is because the NCLB, with its tough sanctions and with its commitment to "get tough" with failing schools, forces school administrators and state officials to come up with inventive definitions of "proficient" that ultimately result in lower standards. The end result of all of this is that students pass standardized tests in greater numbers - but the competence they possess in various subjects is far below what they really need to prosper in a skills-based economy.