Policy to practice: The effect of NCLB on middle schools through the voices of classroom teachers
Gaona, JeanAnn McWherter
Citations
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of the Title I sections of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation on middle school teachers. Four research questions guided the study: in the perception of middle school teachers, how has education been changed by the implementation of NCLB?; What changes do middle school teachers perceive have been made in their working environment as a result of the implementation of NCLB?; What changes do middle school teachers perceive that they have made in their practice as a result of the implementation of NCLB?; and, what changes or impact do the teachers perceive in their city or community from NCLB?. Three phases of data gathering were used in the research: teacher drawings, teacher interviews and classroom observations. Five primary themes were discovered during the study: concerns of validity of high-stakes testing, loss of creativity, NCLB impact on marginalized students, NCLB impact on special education students and teacher shortages.