Inquiry Project

Since the founding of our great nation, the question of how to structure an educational system that is equally attainable to the masses has been the topic of great debates. Countless presidential administrations have attempted to find an answer that would revolutionize the educational system and raise the standards of achievement for our students. The most recent approach by the federal government was to implement the piece of legislation known to the public as the “No Child Left Behind Act of 2001”. This law is divided into 10 different titles, and it attempts to give greater control of the schools to the individual school districts, while ensuring greater accountability and teaching methods that are ‘proven’ through scientific research.

Through this inquiry report, I plan to bring to light the complexity that is No Child Left Behind, and how it has fallen short of its original aim. Not only how the measure is failing to achieve its goal of attaining 100% of student achievement on standardized tests, but how some would say that it is also hindering the everyday process of classroom learning. In order to prove this, I plan on looking into the findings from previous research that have been published in major educational journals, as well as other printed materials from known publications in the area of education. I also expect to introduce inquiries made during my field experience into the body of my research.