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| Chapter 3: Federalism |
| You Decide |
| This exercise is designed to get students to understand federalism through the lens of the 2002 No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Students will not only explore the expanded federal role in education but also how our federal system allows different states to implement those rules differently. They will also appreciate how this new law dramatically expanded the role of the federal government in education and how states have responded to this encroachment on their turf. (NCLB Web site is www.ed.gov/nclb/landing.jhtml ) |
| 1. Read the introductory section from www.wrightslaw.com/info/nclb.parent.guide.heath.htm and explain how the national government is forcing states to comply with its educational goals. In other words, what would happen to states that refuse to comply with the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)? |
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| 2. Read the “Qualifications of Teachers” and “Proficiency Testing of Children” sections. How can a state show that its teachers are qualified and that its students are learning? |
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| 3. Read this letter by William Mathis at www.pdkintl.org/kappan/k0305mat.htm. Is the national government paying the full cost of the No Child Left Behind Act? Give an example from the section of the letter titled “ Estimating the National Costs of NCLB” to illustrate your answer. |
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4. Go to the Frontline Web site at www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/schools/state/
Click on the following states and discuss how they approach the requirements of the 2002 No Child Left Behind provisions: California, Montana, Missouri, and Texas. |
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| 5. How does your state compare with these others? |
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| 6. Is there a fundamental problem with either sanctioning persistently low-performing schools or rewarding high-performing and/or improving schools? Why or why not? What is the policy of schools in your state? |
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| 7. Read this article from pbs.org: www.pbs.org/now/society/nclb.html and list one benefit of having the national government force states to use standardized testing to demonstrate student progress. |
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| 8. List one drawback of having the federal government select the approach of every state. |
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| 9. The authors of the text argue that a key issue of federalism is deciding when differences between states represent proper democratic decisions and when such differences represent inequalities that should not be tolerated. Is education an area that should be left to state control or should the national government play a larger role? |
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