Earlier this year, President Bush signed the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act into law, as he vowed to turn the American education system around following many years of declining achievement scores. The new law grants flexibility, local control and additional funding to educators, releasing new potential for academic success, particularly for our most struggling children. So how are you preparing to take advantage of NCLB to benefit your students? What Is No Child Left Behind? NCLB is an extensive bipartisan plan aimed at improving overall student performance and closing the achievement gap between the rich and poor in America’s public schools. "We believe education is a national priority and a local responsibility; that Washington should be giving our schools help, not giving them orders," said President Bush (http://www.nochildleftbehind.gov). The legislation increases federal education funding to more than $22.1 billion for elementary and secondary schools—a 27 percent increase over 2001, and a 49 percent increase over 2000 levels. NCLB also intends to give educators more time for analyzing test results, classroom teaching, spending time with students and keeping schools safe. NCLB Based Upon Four Principles NCLB aims to accomplish its goals by focusing on President Bush’s four basic education reform principles: Stronger accountability for results: Each state must set their own academic standards in reading, math and science for all students. Information on districts and schools’ progress will be made public; information on children’s schools, teachers and progress will be made available to parents. Increased flexibility and local control: Each state and local school district will have a greater say in how they spend federal funds. Half of federal education funds will be available at their discretion. Expanded options for parents: Parents have new options for helping their children who are enrolled in chronically failing or dangerous schools. Emphasis on proven teaching methods: NCLB will target education dollars to research-based programs which have been proven to help most children learn. Focusing on the Use of Technology NCLB places heavy focus on technology in schools, but in a new direction. Whereas past programs have emphasized giving access to technology, NCLB concentrates on the use of technology—by teachers and students—to improve critical skills. U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige announced the new Enhancing Education Through Technology (ED Tech) initiative. The goals of Ed Tech are to: Improve student academic achievement through the use of technology in elementary schools and secondary schools; Assist students to become technologically literate by the time they finish the eighth grade; and Ensure that teachers are able to integrate technology into the curriculum to improve student achievement. NCLB in Action This Fall As the new school year commenced, thus began the historic kickoff of NCLB. So it’s critical that parents and educators are informed about the new reforms and improvements brought about by the new law. Follett Software Company has always been committed to helping you improve student achievement. And we continue our commitment to you and your students with NCLB, by bringing you a variety of solutions that help you teach to standards and put technology to use at all levels of K-12 education. To learn more about NCLB and the many resources available to help you meet the new goals, visit the NCLB web site at www.nochildleftbehind.gov. Or go to any of the web links listed below. To learn more about our solutions that can help you work to improve student achievement, see the stories below and browse our web site. NCLB Links & Article Sources http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/education/ http://techlearning.com/db_area/archives/TL/2002/06/behind.html http://www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/esea/regsandguidance.html http://www.eschoolnews.org/news/showStory.cfm?ArticleID=3640