Source Note: “No Child Left Behind: Doomed to Fail?”

January 29, 2009 in Research Project

Title: No Child Left Behind: Doomed to Fail? (Time Magazine, 3/27/08)

Summary: A former Bush administration education official feels NCLB was hindered from the beginning by the agenda of its supporters.

Topic: Should the Obama Administration reform the No Child Left Behind Act?

Category: Journalistic; Newsmagazine article

Publication Information: Time Magazine, March 27, 2008

Author: Claudia Wallis

Location: Time.com

Accessed: January 29, 2009

Support:

• Susan Neuman, professor of education, University of Michigan (former Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education, 2001-2003): Says some lawmakers viewed NCLB as a way to advance the privatization of schools, and that the hardline stance on school performance was a form of political posturing in the wake of the Clinton Administration.
• “A Broader, Bolder Approach to Education,” Economic Policy Institute: Non-partisan proposal signed by Neuman and 59 other public officials proposing sweeping reforms that reach beyond standardized testing and into low-income/low- opportunity communities.

Audience and Agenda: Time Magazine is one of the most popular domestic newsmagazines, and is published on a weekly basis. Despite what its mass-market appeal may suggest, Time is known for providing heavily researched and well-written coverage of both domestic and foreign issues. Its coverage of social issues on the national level has traditionally been particularly good.

Usefulness: The article provides good example of how many policy makers who originally supported the law have since come question its alleged benefits, and proposed alternative courses of action. It could also be cited as an example of specific issues within the law that could be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

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