What to do with NCLB

It is quite likely that NCLB will be modified in the next couple of years. I probably should have a massive, well-developed plan for the future direction of No Child Left Behind, but I don't.

As a practitioner, NCLB changed a lot of aspects about our small charter school---from how and who we hired teachers to what textbooks we used to when we scheduled spring break to maximize teaching time before testing. I feel that a lot of pressure came from the state of California, but I've also heard that the states of New Jersey, Tennessee, Texas, and New York placed firm pressure on schools to raise achievement, too.

As a researcher, it's still impossible to quantify the effects of NCLB. Has it raised student achievement or just inflated test scores? Has it boosted equity and drawn attention to the inequitable nature of US schools or reduced the quality of instruction and teacher-student relationships? There seem to be lots of unanswered questions about this monumental policy. However, if NCLB changes, then us researchers are studying a moving target---kinda tricky for us grad students ;)

I respect the desire of educators and politicians to amend NCLB. I understand that many practitioners feel stifled by the numerous mandates of NCLB. At the same time, I hypothesize that NCLB will have long-lasting effects on schools. I wonder how long the gaming-effects of NCLB will last and how states and districts will continue to use data and monitoring to change schools.