Are Students Being Provided with the Resources Needed for their Academic Studies?

On January 8, 2002 President Bush passed the No Child Left Behind Act to improve students progress, provide full benefits, and improve teacher qualifications. To improve student progress, schools are required to provide free tutoring and all the benefits needed to enhance their education. It also requires teachers to be highly qualified for the subject they are going to be teaching. Title 1 schools, include a great percentage of disadvantaged students which is the main focus on the No Child Left Behind Act, to try to improve their education.

The article “No Child Left Behind” in the Education Week states, “Federal officials have pointed to increase in Title 1 spending and new money to pay for testing as evidence of the government’s financial commitment to the law.” This Act requires schools to provide all the resources the students need to keep up their grades in school. The article also states schools are required to provide the best education possible, which means teachers are required to be highly recommended with their teaching abilities. If these requirements are not met, students are given the choice to switch to another school or private tutoring. This is a big help to some students, but many schools do not provide the resources kids need to do homework or get ahead in class work. For example, in my school there is a limit on how much paper anyone can use in one day. School officials say it is because of the lack of resources. According to the Act our is school is currently failing to meet the requirements students need in order to keep up with their educational progress.

The No Child Left Behind Act targets kids who come from families with low income and are unable to maintain their grades on point. During my interview with a local student Joseline Hernandez, I realized why some students have poor grades and have just given up in school. My question was “What do you do when you cannot get the resources you need for your academics?” She answered “Well, when I can’t get the resources I need I just don’t do the work or I go out looking for other resources but I prefer for the school to give me the resources.”  The interview helped me come up with a hypothesis; students who do not have resources provided to them decide to give up and not to try in school. The lack of resources provides them with a low self-esteem about being able to complete and keep up with assignments on a daily basis.

The article “What the No Child Left Behind Laws Means for Your Child” the Great School Staff states, “your child and your school may not receive the full benefits if you don’t ask for them.” This statement claims many students are lacking resources because of the lack of parental involvement. In these title 1 schools there is a small percentage of parents who are willing to take time off their daily life in order to take a look at their children’s educational environment. It seems to me parents have the power to change what they do not like about the school, they just need to pay a little more attention towards the way the school cooperates with the students. Our school could be so much different if parents fought for the rights their children need. For example, other schools including Diamond Ranch or Claremont High School have a large percentage of parental involvement which can be a reason why those schools are successful in having more kids who are very much involved in their education.

Beatrice Estrada