Competition or Community? Manifest and Unexpressed Functions of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
Date of Award
2008
Document Type
Honors Thesis (Open Access)
Department
Colby College. Sociology Dept.
Advisor(s)
Thomas J. Morrione
Abstract
Any contemporary discussion of the American education system inevitably includes a discussion of current federal policy as set out in The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). Signed into law on January 8, 2002, NCLB has sparked tremendous controversy in the field of education. Although the title would suggest otherwise, NCLB does not aim to make sure no child is left behind. Instead, one might argue that it aims to provide quantifiable measures of comparison so as to allow the U.S. to assert educational and economic dominance in the global community. Thus, we can see a distinction between the manifest, or publicly stated, and unexpressed functions in the bill. While the stated goal of NCLB is to provide all children with a quality education, the unspoken intention of this policy, I believe, is to assert America’s place as the economic superpower in the global economy.
Keywords
No Child Left Behind, Act of 2001 Educational change, United States Educational accountability -- United States Education
Recommended Citation
Benjamin, Sara, "Competition or Community? Manifest and Unexpressed Functions of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001" (2008). Honors Theses. Paper 288.https://digitalcommons.colby.edu/honorstheses/288
Copyright
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