Study: NCLB Leads to Cuts for Some Subjects
Center on Education Policy cites effects of emphasis on mathematics, reading.
The federal No Child Left Behind Act is prompting many schools to cut back on subjects such as social studies, music, and art to make more time for reading and mathematics, the main subjects tested by the federal law, a study released last week says.
The report about the fourth year of the law’s implementation, issued by the Center on Education Policy, also found that the law is having the positive effect of spurring schools and districts to more closely align instruction with their states’ curriculum standards, and that test scores are rising.
The Washington-based research organization found that 71 percent of school districts reported that they had decreased the time teachers spent on subjects not specified for testing under the federal law so they could emphasize reading and math. In some cases, districts said they skipped certain subjects altogether to provide students with double reading or math time, Jack Jennings, the president of the CEP, said during a press conference held here to release...
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