NCLB and the lessons of Columbine

"The development of a free, informed, productive, and engaged future citizenry depends on our ability to develop healthy children first. It is time to broaden [the No Child Left Behind Act's] narrow school reform lens. "

IN THE MOUNTING PRESSURE that no child be left behind, the U.S. is in danger of leaving childhood behind. National education policies are seriously misguided. They are based on the behaviorist view of human development, long discredited in the psychological community, that extrinsic motivation, rewards, and consequences, rather than intrinsic motivation, are the keys to high-performance learning.

Six years ago, automatic weapons fire echoed through the halls of Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., shattering lives, complacency, and the idea of suburban schools as safe havens. The attack focused national attention oil issues of safety, student isolation, bullying, and the victimization that depersonalized school environments seem to foster. There was widespread acknowledgment that teachers and administrators needed to find ways to get to know kids better and create real communities in our learning institutions.

It was a deadly reminder that education not only is about teaching content, but supporting and developing human beings. The lessons of Columbine have brought beefed up security and attention to school safety. Metal detector sales have flourished. New school crisis response plans and security measures are in place. Halls are under more surveillance. Community law enforcement agencies are cooperating more closely with school officials, and schools, out of necessity, are being run in a morn regimented way. Teachers and administrators now at least know where their students are, if not who they are.

Yet, it appears that many of the most important lessons of Columbine have been set aside. The No Child Left Behind Act's unrelenting focus on yearly improvement in test scores has forced many schools to narrow their goals for students in ways that comply with the law's intent. There are, however, unintended consequences. The resulting impact on school climate, in particular, raises concern. As class time becomes more regimented and tight budgets create larger classes, schools are becoming environments even less conducive for teachers to know their students well. NCLB forces communities to focus more on raising test scores than on raising kids.

While it is true that statistics on school violence show a decline since 1995, incidents of bullying and victimization are on the upswing. An American Medical Association report estimates that more than 3,200,000 students in grades six through 10 are victims of moderate or serious bullying each year. In its report on the causes of school violence after Columbine, the Secret Service indicated that nearly three-fourths of perpetrators of deadly school violence reported a history of having been bullied.

A growing number of states are instituting laws to combat bullying, and there even is money in NCLB that districts can use to fund such programs. However, piecemeal responses are not going to have much effect, especially in the wake of NCLB's overwhelming locus on student achievement, narrowly defined as Adequate Yearly Progress on annual standardized tests. Raising student achievement is important, but history has taught some hard lessons concerning what happens when a single-minded focus on test scores replaces a more comprehensive set of indicators for what constitutes a successful school.

Across the country, schools are reporting that the pressures of NCLB-mandated testing regimes are crowding out teacher time and forcing cutbacks in such "frills" as art, music, phys-ed, and recess, all of which are not perceived to translate into immediate bottom line success in raising test scores. In a survey of elementary school principals, 25% report decreased instructional time for the arts, and 33% anticipate future cuts. An estimated 40% of elementary schools have reduced or eliminated recess. In their place are more test prep and drills, as well as reports of increasing levels of regimentation, student alienation, and teacher stress. More worrisome still is the growing belief that rising test scores alone equate to successful schools.

The test score dilemma

The test scores at Columbine High School were among the highest in Colorado. Tragedy, however, still ensued, just as it did in Cowers, Ga.; Santana, Calif.; and, just over a month ago, in Redlake, Minn. Teachers and administrators may fail to see the warning signs because of the focus on the measures of school performance that can be counted (like test scores), not the ones that most likely deter these tragedies.

Creativity, problem-solving skills, respect for differences, excitement about learning, self-esteem, civic engagement, and school climate are barometers of school and student success for which test scores are, at best, a weak proxy. Performing well on math and literacy tests is not the sole predictor of performing well as members of society. Yet, the reality that a number of schools have been labeled "underperforming" by NCLB standards raises the stakes even higher. Teachers will be pressured to concentrate still greater efforts on drill and test rather than on developing broadly educated students and, more importantly, responsible and engaged future citizens.