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Teachers' Views on No Child Left Behind: Support for the Principles, Concerns about the Practices

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  • Richard J. Murnane
  • John P. Papay

Abstract

In this article, we describe teachers' views of the behavioral responses the No Child Left Behind legislation has elicited and the extent to which research reveals evidence of these responses and their effects on the distribution of student achievement. We focus on teachers' reactions to three aspects of NCLB that are particularly relevant to them: 1) the testing requirements and the rules determining "Adequate Yearly Progress" (AYP) under NCLB; 2) the sanctions imposed on schools that fail to meet AYP; and 3) the requirement that all teachers of core academic subjects be "highly qualified" in their areas of teaching assignment. Overall, we find that teachers overwhelmingly support the principles underlying the No Child Left Behind legislation, including that schools should be held accountable for educating all children well. However, teachers are concerned that the incentives created by some provisions of the law have elicited unintended responses that reduce the quality of education provided to at least some children.

Suggested Citation

  • Richard J. Murnane & John P. Papay, 2010. "Teachers' Views on No Child Left Behind: Support for the Principles, Concerns about the Practices," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 24(3), pages 151-166, Summer.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:jecper:v:24:y:2010:i:3:p:151-66
    Note: DOI: 10.1257/jep.24.3.151
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    File URL: http://www.aeaweb.org/articles.php?doi=10.1257/jep.24.3.151
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Donald Boyd & Hamilton Lankford & Susanna Loeb & Jonah Rockoff & James Wyckoff, 2008. "The narrowing gap in New York City teacher qualifications and its implications for student achievement in high-poverty schools," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 27(4), pages 793-818.
    2. Charles T. Clotfelter & Helen F. Ladd & Jacob L. Vigdor & Roger Aliaga Diaz, 2004. "Do school accountability systems make it more difficult for low-performing schools to attract and retain high-quality teachers?," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 23(2), pages 251-271.
    3. Clotfelter, Charles T. & Ladd, Helen F. & Vigdor, Jacob L., 2007. "Teacher credentials and student achievement: Longitudinal analysis with student fixed effects," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 26(6), pages 673-682, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. Lisa Breger, 2017. "Poverty and Student Achievement in Chicago Public Schools," The American Economist, Sage Publications, vol. 62(2), pages 206-216, October.
    2. Cook, Jason & Lavertu, Stéphane & Miller, Corbin, 2021. "Rent-Seeking through collective bargaining: Teachers unions and education production☆," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • H52 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Government Expenditures and Education
    • H75 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - State and Local Government: Health, Education, and Welfare
    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • I28 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Government Policy
    • J45 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Public Sector Labor Markets

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