Schools Need More Flexibility & Funding to Meet Promise

50-state analysis also reveals huge gap
in federal education aid to children in need

The more voters learn about the real-world impact of the so-called "No Child Left Behind" law, the more they believe changes must be made, according to a new bipartisan poll commissioned by the NEA.

"Most Americans fully support the goals of the law – high standards, accountability for all, and the belief that no child should be left behind regardless of their background or abilities," said NEA President Reg Weaver. "But growing numbers believe the law's rigid, one-size-fits-all provisions are preventing teachers and other educators from giving every child the individualized attention he or she needs to do well."

The law's real name is the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). It is the federal government's primary law outlining federal education spending and regulations.

The comprehensive survey of voter attitudes on the federal government's role in education was conducted earlier this month by the Republican polling firm The Tarrance Group and the Democratic polling firm Greenberg Quinlan Research. It also found that clear majorities of voters see the need to significantly increase federal investment in the nation's public schools. Key findings include:

• Almost three quarters of voters interviewed (74%) feel that schools nationwide are either improving or already in pretty good shape.
• More than 70% of respondents prefer schools be evaluated by multiple measures of success – not just standardized test scores – including graduation and college attendance rates, the quality of their teachers, and the performance of students in class.
• Two-thirds of voters (67%) believe "No Child Left Behind" is unfair because it labels schools as "failing" even if only one group of students doesn't do well on a test. Three-quarters (75%) oppose taking away funding from schools that do not increase standardized test scores.
• Voters name education as the top federal budgetary priority, and almost two-thirds of respondents (63%) say the federal government should be spending more on the nation's schools.

The poll's conclusions on funding are buttressed by a national and state-by-state analysis on federal education aid. This study reveals that the assistance to schools provided so far by the Bush administration and Congress under "No Child Left Behind" falls far short of what was promised in the law.

Even more troubling, the funding provided represents less than half the amount that is needed to meet the needs of all eligible children. Because of this funding gap, nationwide 5.3 million disadvantaged children eligible for school aid have been deprived of assistance, and school districts across the country lack the funds to hire an additional 16,000 teachers.

"We know what it takes to do the job – smaller class sizes, quality teachers, parental involvement, effective preschool and after-school programs, and up-to-date textbooks and technology," added Weaver. "But the federal government must provide the necessary flexibility and resources so that we can build on our successes and ensure that the promise of 'No Child Left Behind' becomes a reality for all of our nation's children."

The polling and funding data was discussed at a press briefing at NEA's national headquarters in Washington, D.C. Copies of the 50-state analysis of federal education funding and an NEA report on the national funding gap – "No Child Left Behind? The Funding Gap in ESEA and Other Federal Education Programs" – are available on the NEA's Web site.

Posted January 14, 2003