Source Note: “The Case for National Standards, Accountability, and Fiscal Equity”
Summary: The Center for American Progress believes states need to be held accountable to federal education requirements through comprehensive national performance standards.
Topic: Should the Obama Administration reform the No Child Left Behind Act?
Category: Institutional; Study; PDF file
Publication Information: Center for American Progress, 2007
Author: N/A
Location: AmericanProgress.org
Accessed: February 2nd, 2009
Support:
- National Assessment of Educational Progress, 2005: The assessment reveals a vast disparity in academic growth between states, specifically in the areas of reading and mathematics.
- U.S. Government Accounting Office (GAO), 1998: The GAO reported greater equity in educational funding on the federal level than on the state level, with regards to low-income student numbers.
Audience and Agenda: The Center for American Progress is a progressive Washington D.C. think tank headed by John Podesta, Bill Clinton’s former chief of staff. Much of its advocacy is from a decidedly left-of-center standpoint, and the “About Us” section of the Center’s website states one of its goals as exposing “the hollowness of conservative governing philosophy.” Quantcast’s results for AmericanProgress.org indicate regular viewers also frequent such sites as The Huffington Post and The Nation.
Usefulness:
Within the context of my research, this policy brief provides a basis for understanding the ramifications of any NCLB reforms in American political circles. The statistics it cites could also be used to establish the historical motivation behind the act and/or make a case for its continued necessity.
Works cited:
“americanprogress.org – Quantcast Audience Profile,” http://www.quantcast.com/americanprogress.org
“About Us,” http://www.americanprogress.org/aboutus
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