Woman Blames No Child Left Behind dor Education Crisis, Saying It Prompted Teaching to a Test

If there’s one thing I remember from my teaching days, aside from the satisfaction of watching my students master a concept, it’s that everything felt like it was shifting toward teaching to a test. I can still recall the pressure from administrators to drill students on answers they could spit back on exams. This happened primarily with standardized tests, since the scores were (and still are) tied to funding, per the American University School of Education.

Funny enough, though, is that TikToker @thesashawhitney seems to agree. She even goes as far as blaming the No Child Left Behind Act for this shift, saying in a TikTok that it essentially triggered an educational crisis. For context, NCLB was signed into law in 2002 under the Bush administration but was later replaced in 2017 with the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) under President Barack Obama, according to the California Department of Education. Here’s why she believes NCLB caused more harm than good.

In her nearly seven-minute video, Sasha (@thesashawhitney) made some very valid points against No Child Left Behind, starting with its tone. Instead of holding parents accountable for their child’s performance and grades, the law effectively makes teachers responsible.

Now while teachers do have a huge influence on what a child learns, it's the parents’ job to reinforce learning at home and make sure their child is understanding the material. Teachers are supportive, knowledgeable, and dedicated, but they can’t be the only ones held accountable for a child’s success. It’s also on the child and the parent.

Sasha also points out that under NCLB, “The learning model shifted, not to retention and comprehension, but simply passing a test.” Students aren’t truly understanding or applying what they learn — they’re taught to pass a test, then the information is “dumped from their brain” to make room for the next exam.

She also highlights gaps in basic instruction, saying phonics isn’t being taught consistently, and that students aren’t learning how to apply reading comprehension to real-world scenarios. In other words, NCLB isn’t only overemphasizing the importance of a test, but it’s also misguiding kids about how the real world works.

Sasha reminisced about the past, when schools considered students’ emotions but still upheld standards, meaning students either met expectations or didn’t.

Those who succeeded were rewarded, sometimes with a principal’s breakfast or a field trip, and those who didn’t simply didn’t get the reward.

Now, don’t get me wrong, mental health matters and schools should absolutely address it, but sometimes it feels like schools are so busy making sure every kid feels included that they forget real-world consequences actually exist.

In the real world, employers aren’t going to hand someone a $100K job because they feel bad. You actually have to earn it through credentials, experience, and effort.

Sasha also called out NCLB for literally not leaving kids behind who should have been held back. When students are promoted without mastering necessary skills, it has an impact on the entire school system.

It holds back their peers and puts teachers in difficult positions where they have to teach kids at all different levels. So, essentially, someone is actually getting left behind.

Overall, Sasha and many commenters argue that NCLB didn’t prevent children from being left behind; it only made things worse.