Study Finds NCLB Pushes Schools to Narrow Curriculum

An independent think tank has issued a report that offers empirical evidence of what teachers have known and have been warning about for several years now: the federal No Child Left Behind Act's testing requirements are narrowing the curriculum being taught in the nation's public schools.

Even lunch time has been sacrificed in the consuming quest for higher test scores.

The Washington-based Center on Education Policy (CEP), which released the report, said the research finds that about 62% of school districts increased the amount of time spent in elementary schools on English/language arts or math, while 44% of districts cut time on science, social studies, art and music, physical education, lunch or recess.

According to CEP, "A majority of the nation's school districts report that they have increased time for reading and math in elementary schools since the No Child Left Behind Act became law in 2002, while time spent on other subjects has fallen by nearly one-third during the same time, according to a report from the Washington, D.C.-based Center on Education Policy.

"The report, based on a nationally representative survey of nearly 350 school districts, finds that to make room for additional curriculum and instructional time in reading and math - the two subjects tested for accountability under the No Child Left Behind Act - many districts are also spending less time in other subjects that are not the focus of federal accountability."

The CEP report also found that a "greater proportion of districts with at least one school identified for NCLB improvement than of districts with no identified schools reported that they have decreased time in elementary school subjects other than ELA [English/Language Arts] and math."

NEA member Mark Lichtenberg, a music teacher in Evansville, Indiana, can tell you the impact of NCLB testing mandates on the curriculum based on his own experience.

"As a music educator, I am used to advocating for my program when budgets are trimmed or staff is cut. But since the reauthorization of ESEA, the targeting of arts programs has been redoubled. NCLB's primary focus on math and reading has led to arts programs nationwide becoming less and less important or being completely removed from the curriculum," writes Lichtenberg in an "NCLB story" submitted to NEA.

He concluded, "Meanwhile, research showing the positive effects of the arts on student achievement continues to pile up. While it is a proven fact that students who participate in the arts perform better in other subject areas, schools are cutting their programs in an effort to meet the testing demands of ESEA. It's time to change the law so that the full needs of all children are met!"

Read more stories by NEA members about their personal experience
with the impact of NCLB testing on the curriculum 

The CEP report -- Choices, Changes, and Challenges: Curriculum and Instruction in the NCLB Era  -- was widely reported and its findings confirmed by local educators and administrators.

In its story, the Daily Herald in Illinois reported, "'…(Reading and math) should be primary subjects; I don't disagree with that at all,' Winfield Elementary District 34 Superintendent Diane Cody said. 'We just have to make sure we don't skew it terribly.'"

According to the Daily Herald, "The Illinois State Board of Education in 2005 dropped writing and social science from standardized exams. The move brought Illinois tests in line with No Child Left Behind."

The Associated Press reported, "In the Tigard-Tualatin school district, outside Portland, Ore., things like assemblies and special projects have been cut, said Susan Stark Haydon, the district's director of community relations.

"'Being able to read is key. If you can't read, you have very little chance of being successful in life,' Haydon said. But she added, 'I think that it's too bad that some of the things that made school fun aren't there anymore.'"