Next Step Candidate Murali Balaji on No Child Left Behind

One of the nation’s most prominent education laws — the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, also known as No Child Left Behind — was dismantled this summer. House Republicans proposed that local school districts rather than Washington should set the rules for ensuring that students are receiving a quality education.

No Child Left Behind gave the country transparency about the academic progress of at-risk students. Nonetheless, its strict accountability provisions began to impede progress by focusing schools on a single test score. Nearly all agree that it should be replaced with a new law providing greater freedom to systems and educators while continuing to fulfill its intended purpose. However, there is still no consensus on exactly what that law should look like. 

With NCLB dismantled, Next Step candidate Murali Balaji offered some insight about what he believes the “next steps” should be. According to him, more should be done to localize child learning. “When you quantify based on test scores,” he says, “you greatly undermine the quality of learning. Emphasis should be placed instead on qualifying student success.”

Balaji also believes that teacher training should remain a top priority. “Let’s make sure that teachers have all the resources at their disposal to help maximize their students’ potential,” he says. “Modern classroom technologies, workshops on culturally sensitive pedagogy, and training on how to deal with classroom bullying are all important steps towards ensuring that a quality education is provided to all students.”

In the coming months, states and districts will have to find their own ways to meet the needs of their most vulnerable students. According to Balaji, too much emphasis has been placed on students’ ability to pass standardized tests. “While publishing test scores of districts might make you eligible for grants,” he says, “it does not ensure that students are actually progressing.”
 
Balaji believes that there are more effective ways to ensure that the progress of U.S. students remains transparent. “Why not share class syllabi online so that parents, community members, and other educators can see what is being taught in our schools?” he asks.
According to him, public education is at a crossroads. “If we are willing to showcase policy innovation and political will,” he says, “we will have an opportunity to strengthen public education for a generation to come.”

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