Sample Solution

State and federal laws/policies have had a significant effect on schools and teachers’ abilities to meet goals. These policies can bring both positive and negative effects depending on how they are implemented. One example is the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) which was introduced in 2001 with the intention of improving educational standards across the United States (U.S Department of Education, 2002). The main aim of this policy was to ensure all children receive an appropriate education by holding states accountable for test scores and introducing mandatory standardized tests that measure academic progress (U.S Department of Education, 2002). This act also sought to increase school funding through Title I grants as well as providing additional resources such as tutoring programs for those students who were falling behind their peers (U.S Department of Education, 2002).

On one hand this policy has been beneficial in that it has provided much needed financial support for struggling schools while offering further assistance to those students who may require extra help in order to reach an acceptable level of understanding within any given subject area . Furthermore ,the emphasis placed upon standardized testing has meant that teachers are now able to accurately assess student performance more effectively than ever before.

However, some educators feel that NCLB puts excessive pressure upon both students and staff alike resulting in higher levels of stress throughout the teaching/learning process . It has also been argued that due its stringent requirements ,this act incentivizes ‘teaching-to-test’ rather than deeper learning which could lead pupils into becoming disinterested with their studies over time(McClure & Kite, 2018). Likewise some experts feel that NCLB is unable to accommodate different learning styles with its focus being purely on quantitative data which fails to take into account other important aspects such as critical thinking or problem solving skills (McClure & Kite, 2018).