ERIC Number: EJ808684
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008
Pages: 44
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0741-0883
EISSN: N/A
The Impact of No Child Left Behind on Teachers' Writing Instruction
McCarthey, Sarah J.
Written Communication, v25 n4 p462-505 2008
The study uses Foucault's framework of governmentality to understand the impact of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) on teachers' writing instruction and attitudes toward writing in high- and low-income schools. Using interviews and observations of 18 teachers, the study identified four themes: emphasis on testing, curricular effects, awareness of lower-achieving students, and concerns for English language learners. While teachers shared concerns in those areas, there were differences in how teachers from high- and low-income schools experienced the impact of NCLB on their writing instruction. The study suggests that NCLB has affected teacher morale as well as the nature and amount of writing instruction, but that school contexts figure into teachers' instruction. The example of one teacher from a low-income school demonstrates the potential for teachers to resist the coercive aspects of NCLB through their writing instruction. (Contains 2 tables and 1 note.)
Descriptors: Socioeconomic Status, Socioeconomic Influences, Federal Legislation, Limited English Speaking, Program Effectiveness, Teacher Morale, Writing Instruction, Educational Legislation, Writing (Composition), Teacher Attitudes, Low Income, Disadvantaged Schools, Interviews, Observation, Student Evaluation, Testing, Curriculum, Low Achievement, English (Second Language), Teaching Methods, State Standards, Educational Policy, Grade 3, Grade 4, Elementary School Teachers
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://sagepub.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Elementary Education; Grade 3; Grade 4
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Illinois; Utah
Identifiers - Laws, Policies, & Programs: No Child Left Behind Act 2001
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A