Bush’s No Child Left Behind Act

President Bush made a landmark in education law and that revolutionary move was called No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). The NCLB or nickelbee, as called by some, became a highly controversial US federal law. It gave authority once again to a few federal programs intended to better primary schools and secondary schools in the United States by raising accountability standards for schools, school districts, and states. It also provides parents more choices of schools for their children to enroll to. Moreover, the NCLB is making reading its center of attention and it reauthorized the ESEA (Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965).

The No Child Left Behind Act is a federal legislation that works on the belief that if actually measurable goals and high expectations are set, every child’s scholastic outcome can improve. This law then requires all states to have certain assessments developed, assessments that would test students’ basic skills. If states do not follow through, they will not receive any federal funding for their schools. There is no achievement standard set nationally however. Instead, such standards will be set by each state as deemed appropriate. The No Child Left Behind Act also requires each school to submit enrolled students’ information like address, phone number and name to military recruiters except if a student or the parents specifically says no.

The NCLB became so controversial because there were many people who were vocally against it and there were also many who wholeheartedly support the law. Plenty of negatives as well as positive points were raised. One of the more vocally stressed negative points of the NCLB is that effectiveness of instruction as well as students’ learning can be greatly reduced. The reason behind this is that states may opt to set achievement goals that are low and will spur the teachers to teach only those things that are relevant to the tests.

One of the primary supportive points for the No Child Left Behind Act is that a testing system will finally determine which schools in the country are not effectively teaching their students the necessary basic skills. If this data can be gathered, proper intervention can then be made to improve the performance of that certain school. The outcomes produced by students can then be improved through the No Child Left Behind Act. Also, achievement gaps can be lowered for those students who are disabled and at a disadvantage.

What is Home-schooling?

Home schooling, as the name implies, is the process of teaching children in their homes, usually by their parents. Since the turn of the 21st century, this process is becoming more and more popular. The practice of home schooling has been legal in every state since 1993. This opened up a large opportunity to parents who had concerns about having their children put in normal public schools. Currently, according to the National Household Education Surveys Program, there are roughly 1.1 million children in the USA who are being home schooled!

There are many reasons why parents may want to teach their children at home. For example, many parents wish to have their children attend private schools, but can not afford it. Some children have special needs and parents may feel that they would perform better at home than in a classroom, or may be afraid that their child will be made fun of. Some parents may decide to have their children taught at home because of a strict religious upbringing that they feel is not compatible with secular public schools. Another reason that parents may opt for home schooling is because children often perform better when taught by their parents because they have their undivided attention. In fact, one of the reasons that some people are against home schooling is because it gives some children an unfair advantage.

While home schooling may sound like a new concept, it’s actually been practiced since the beginning of history. In America, home schooling was the preferred method up until the late 1800s as a matter of fact. It was during this time that new laws were passed that forced children to attend school under penalty of law. Therefore, it’s no surprise that most prominent presidents of the United States, such as Franklin D. Roosevelt, George Washington, and Abraham Lincoln, were home schooled.

Although home schooling is great, it does have some problems that most people can agree upon. Regrettably, within the confines of their homes, children are not getting enough exposure to the real world outside. Even though they perform wonderfully on their test scores, when confronted with the real business world they may not have enough experience dealing with people to be effectual in their jobs. The good news is that if a parent is responsible enough, there are many social programs that they can enlist their children in that can give them the real world experience that they need.

Problems and Issues Facing American Schools

These days it cannot be denied that schools all around America are facing serious problems. Many are even calling it a crisis already. Most of the approaches the United States is doing to solve these problems are having minimal results so far. These supposed solutions cost a lot of money as well. There are some visible effects inside the school grounds, but outside the problems still carry on. The students still get affected by them and ultimately, education gets affected. The following are major issues and are just a few of the problems plaguing American schools. Hopefully, proper and working solutions will be implemented soon.

The most evident of the problems in American schools is that the students are learning so little. Classrooms are supposed to be places for education, where students’ minds can be filled with knowledge. Unfortunately, the current situation is the total opposite of this. Students who are receiving their diplomas these days are graduating with less knowledge than they need in order to compete in today’s world. They have less capabilities and less honed skills. In fact, if you compare today’s American graduates to graduates of other industrialized nations, American graduates rarely come out on top. This is truly a sad fact that needs to be addressed and immediately too!

It is also undeniable that classrooms get disrupted so often. Violence breaks out so commonly in schools; it is almost becoming common place. In fact, it seems as though the news reports incidents of classroom violence almost every day. Even school buses these days are sometimes scenes of school brutality. Expensive metal detectors and roaming campus police will only solve these problems minimally. Students still get abused outside of schools, hindering them from coming to school regularly and from learning the things they should be learning. Violence in schools is escalating and this is really becoming a problem!

Some problems and issues facing American schools can also be attributed to parents. Most parents these days do not care at all about their children’s education. Parents used to ask about projects, tests, and homework before, but now only a few do so. Parents are highly relying on schools to teach their children everything. There are still a few things that need to be taught at home, like morals, manners, and violence prevention. Yes the schools can teach these things but parents have to lend a hand as well.

Private Colleges and Universities in New York City and Long Island

New York City and Long Island are home to some of the best private colleges in the nation. Each college brings something unique and different to the higher education table, allowing students from across the globe to complete their education. While there are many private college and universities in the city of New York, these three schools can easily be considered as three of the best in the city and state.

Columbia University

Columbia University was established in 1754. This university was the first college ever created in the state of New York, and the fifth college to grace the new colonies. While the college was public at one time, it has long since been private. One of the many unique things about Columbia University is that it is not only a member of the Ivy League, but is actually the center of the Pulitzer Prize, which is recognized worldwide as far as writing and music is concerned. Columbia University has long been able to claim that it has had some of the firsts in the nation; Political Science and Anthropology degrees found their American birthplace at Columbia University. The school has many famous individuals who have attended or worked at the university, including founding fathers, former presidents, and many US Senators.

Julliard

Julliard is one of the most well known performing arts schools in the nation. Julliard has gained fame for multiple reasons besides the teaching that occurs at the school. Julliard boasts the lowest acceptance rate in the United States, at 7%. This has made it one of, if not the, hardest school to get into. Famous actors, actresses, musicians, and the like have been able to lift the school as well; Robin Williams, Yo Yo Ma, Marcia Cross, and Kelsey Grammar all attended the school of performing arts.

NYU

New York University, also known as NYU, is another well known private university in New York that is located in Greenwich Village. While the university has many different campus’, the main one is located in Greenwich Village. More than 40,000 students attend New York University, and that number will grow as Polytechnic University will soon merge with the university. NYU is one of the most prestigious schools in the United States. As this, it can boast having many former students who were Nobel Prize Winners, Pulitzer Prize winners, and various acting and musical awards.

The Best Private Schools in New York City

New York City holds many treasures and one of those is its educational capacity. The city is home to several of the nation’s prestigious schools. The research centers, universities, and libraries to be found in New York are among the most important ones in the United States and even the world! Having your child or children educated in one of the best private schools in New York is definitely a great idea. There are lots of benefits all lined up for you and your children. Whether you are a student or a parent, the best private schools in New York City are sure to satisfy all your standards!

Here are some more reasons why the private schools in New York City should be the top on your list. First of all, New York City is renowned the world over for being the center for medical research and research in life sciences. If you need more substantiation, here it is. In the United States, most of the post-graduate life sciences degrees are awarded every year to New York students. There are already 127 Nobel Laureates and 40,000 licensed physicians out there serving the country, all hailing from New York schools. Letting your child study in New York is definitely one very good idea!

New York City is home to more than 900 private schools. In the city you can find a few of the most prestigious private schools in the United States. Part of the list of these prestigious private institutions is Brooklyn’s Saint Ann’s School and the Bronx’ Riverdale Country School, Ethical Culture Fieldstone School, and Horace Mann School. Included in the list are Upper West Side of Manhattan’s Trinity School and Collegiate School. On Manhattan’s Upper East Side are great private schools like Convent of the Sacred Heart, Nightingale – Bamford School, Chapin School, Spence School, Dalton School, and Brearley School.

As you can see, investing in New York City private education is more than a good idea. Great schools are available for you to enroll in. To help you decide which school is perfect for your child, consider the goals and missions of the school. Take note of their financial and admission arrangements. You should also take a look into their standards and their offers when it comes to curricula.

The best private schools in New York City may even be better than the best schools in other states. With that in mind, studying in New York City is definitely a good investment all around!

Higher Education in New York City

In New York City, there are over half a million college students attending over more than sixty universities and colleges. New York City educates more students than any other city or state in the country. In fact, more freshman leaving their home state to attend college come to New York than any other state, mostly because of New York City.

The public university in New York City is City University of New York that expands to include many other colleges. However, the popularity of private universities has led to the extreme number of colleges and universities. The city is home to many universities, and the following is a brief list of notable ones: Columbia University, Cooper Union, Fordham University, The New School, Manhattan College, New York University, New York Law School, St. John’s, and Yeshiva University. New York City is also home to the world-renowned Julliard School and the School of Visual Arts. Columbia University, located in New York City, is one of the world-renowned Ivy League Schools.

New York University is a major research university in lower Manhattan. Founded in 1831 by a group of prominent New Yorkers, New York University has grown to be the largest “not-for-profit” private school in the United States. The university boasts an enrolment of nearly 40,000 students, which rivals and surpasses most of the nation’s public universities. New York University is composed of fourteen colleges and divisions, which are spread out over Manhattan.

The New York School of Law is a private law school in Manhattan and is one of the oldest law schools in the United States, second only to the Litchfield Law School of Connecticut. The Law School was founded in 1891 by a group of faculty, students, and alumni of Columbia Law School led by their founding dean, Theodore William Dwight, a prominent figure in the history of American legal education. They left Columbia in protest of teaching methods of which they did not approve and to establish a prestigious school of law. They established New York Law School in Lower Manhattan—where it has remained ever since—in the heart of the city’s legal, financial, government, and corporate headquarters.

New York City is one of the worlds premier places to attend higher education facilities. It is important for individuals to consider the strengths that these schools would offer them when considering where to go and where to apply. School is a very personal and responsive thing and should be chosen accordingly.

Math Tests Look Good Second Year in a Row

Where third through eighth grades were concerned in Long Island, New York, it was the second straight year that students showed a marked improvement on their statewide math scores. The Long Island schools are the mirror image of the overall New York picture according to state officials in Albany. The improvements in the math scores were nothing short of dramatic, and it is very significant when they show an improvement in performance in the middle grades since that is when math scores (especially) tend to weaken and drop. But results nationwide were similar nonetheless.

This was the second year in a row that Long Island students showed an improvement in every one of the grades involved in the testing. Here are just two of the results of the testing comparing the current testing year with the prior one for third graders and seventh graders:

85.2% of third graders passed compared to 80.5% last year
66.4% of seventh graders passed compared to 55.6% last year

Interestingly enough, mandatory testing is not supported by all the Long Island residents, but the results are still encouraging regardless. Of the 50 states, New York has the second largest per student spending in the United States. Though not always indicative of the improvements in testing, all New York City school districts, including Long Island area schools are feeling the sting of the No Child Left Behind mandate to get all children in the country to a proficient grade ranking by 2014.

Steve Israel, New York state congressman is currently spearheading the funding for the Keeping Our Promise to America’s Children Act. Since the teacher to student ratios in Long Island’s education system are so low, support of the NCLB is very costly and more teachers are required for the class rooms. The federally required paperwork is very time-consuming and there are also requirements for highly qualified math and science teachers as well. Most Long Island educators support the issues but the funding is still a major challenge and success of the project is in constant question.

Long Island schools are considerably more successful due to the fact that New York State sees its student educational funding at well over $11,000 per student. But the dissension is continuous and there is not much hope of 100% support for this critical issue affecting all Long Island schools.