Policy to practice: The effect of NCLB on middle schools through the voices of classroom teachers

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.