“No Child Left Behind”: Does It Help Me? Change is Hard But Not Impossible (A Unit on Self-Advocacy)

This unit is being designed for students who need to understand what their jobs as students entail. Students need to be taught accountability for their contributions to our society. Students need to understand how results of testing not only affect our country but our communities as well. One of our most notable educational policies is the “No Child Left Behind Act” of 2001 (signed into law in January 2002). Passed as an amendment to the landmark Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, the No Child Left Behind Act has required schools to make Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) and to track the progress of all students, counted in part by racial and ethnic groups, to remain eligible for federal funding. In practice the law has disappointed many; but it also provides opportunities for improvement, if all involved, administrators, teachers, parents, and students, do their parts. Students in particular must recognize their responsibilities to contribute to progress, including through self-advocacy.