Abstract
When the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) was implemented in California, as well as in other states, a shift in education occurred, one that demanded all students be proficient in reading and math by the year 2014. Since the inception of NCLB, states across the nation have been striving to reach the required levels of proficiency, and in doing so have -according to a number of studies- created an unintended consequence: students are not receiving well-rounded educations. As a result, the research literature suggests that too many students are not being adequately prepared for college or the 21st century workplace. The purpose of this study was to investigate teacher perceptions of NCLB’s impact in a small northern California school district. More specifically, this study employed a mixed methods design to determine if a significant correlation existed between the online survey results from 125 K-5 teachers and the following variables: teacher flexibility, teacher morale, CST accuracy, CST comprehensiveness, influenced by the CST, and producing lifelong learners, as impacted by the California Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) program. This study also examined the perceptions of elementary teachers regarding student engagement towards learning and student academic achievement through follow-up interviews with six of the participants. Overall, the findings revealed that the state’s standardized testing and the district’s formative assessments are essentially driving instruction in this district. Teachers are inevitably narrowing the curriculum, spending less time teaching at deeper levels, and are using a great deal of classroom instruction teaching testing strategies. The participants believe this has impacted their students educationally by narrowing their knowledge in many subject areas. The findings also indicated teachers believe that these students may have learned minimal strategies to use to problem solve, address conflict, or work with others. The findings revealed that, because of the teaching limitations created by NCLB expectations, students are not as engaged in their learning and are at times creatively stifled. These impacts are also creating undesirable effects for the teachers. The findings indicated that teachers are frustrated and discouraged with the current demands from the federal, state, and district level accountability systems. The demands, in combination with teaching limitations, are creating pressures that are resulting in low teacher morale and thoughts of ending their teaching professions. This study concludes with four recommendations that emerged from the findings as well as implications for leadership, policy change, and further research.