The Effect of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002 on Special Education and Learning

In 2001, the US Congress passed the No Child Left Behind act with overwhelming bipartisan support. The law was unprecedented in its overhaul of the education system in the United States. Advocates for the law lauded it for holding schools accountable and empowering parents, while critics claimed the law was a rigid solution to a fluid problem. 

Debates and discussion about No Child Left Behind (NCLB) continue on a number of levels: testing fairness, racial implications, economic implications, and funding responsibilities to name just a few. One of concern on several levels, though, is the effect the law has on the education of learning disabled and special education students in schools. Supporters say that NCLB raises the bar for such students and forces schools to address their education, but those in opposition claim the law either forces schools to lower overall standards, or actually undermines the education of these students. 

In brief, NCLB has a few provisions that directly affect learning disabled and special education students on some level. The first is that every state must test all students annually in certain mandated subject areas. Secondly, states must demonstrate that “adequate yearly progress” (No Child Left Behind Act) toward a set of standards that are set by the individual state. Finally, teachers must demonstrate that they are “highly qualified” (No Child Left Behind Act) in their subject area. Each provision of the law offers a unique debate over how special education or disabled students are affected.