School Development Programs and the NCLB vs AFT

When President Bush signed into effect the (NCLB) No Child Left Behind Act, he was in fact signing a state of drastic school reform. The AFT drafted its own type of school reform and called it school development. The program was designed to service elementary levels and it included several topics: mechanism, operations, and principles. Each topic is consistent with the NCLB Act and this paper will reflect the lineage of the two programs.

The first main feature of the SDP is called “Mechanisms” and refers to the development of three coordinated teams that run the school as a team. The teams consist of three separate groups and include school planning and management, parents, and student and staff support. The school planning and management team are responsible for the academic and social climate of the school. The parent team is responsible for increasing confidence in the community and to generate programs geared at increasing school involvement. The student and staff support team is responsible for behavior problems and is focused primarily on meeting the needs of the students. Each part of the “Mechanisms” section of the SDP is essential and equally important for its sustained success.