LEAP vs NCLB

Picture Credit:  Cyroulette

Imagine that: another debate that emerged between liberals and conservatives.The arena of this face-off is in American education. On one hand rests the failed NCLB Act of the Bush era, on the other is LEAP, a liberal arts education inititative. Taking a more enveloping approach, LEAP is much more successful at providing students with a strong and sturdy educational background

In 2001, George W. Bush and his administration saw the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act. Aimed at pushing the public education system forward into the 21st century so that this country could compete with other emerging superpowers, a theme that has since permeated itself into practically every political subfaction, NCLB created a set of standards for all schools in America to meet...or else.

This act told schools that all of their students's scores when averaged must meet a ceratin level of competencies in major subject areas (english, math, etc.) or the school will be subject to a loss of funding:  negative reinforcement at its finest.

In a separate, yet similar vein, Liberal Education and America's Promise is a 2005 initiative that aims to provide students with a set of competencies. LEAP does not rely on a narrow focus on certain areas of study to accomplish mastery of these competecies, which is what segregates it philisophically from NCLB. LEAP aims to overlap understanding of concepts in multiple subjects.

These two schools of thought both seek to accomplish a group of core competencies. However, the ways in which they go about this accomplishment make them very distinct. NCLB stresses the importance of annual standardized testing to measure the success of schools. LEAP is much less rigorous, seeking to lessen the rigidity between subjects and allow knowledge to move more freely throughout education.