Still Waiting for Superman: A Curricular Retrospective of the No Child Left Behind Era

• In Event: Virtual Poster Session
  In Virtual iPresentation Only: Division B - Section 2: Exploring Past, Present, and Future Curricular Questions Virtual Poster Session

Abstract

The documentary Waiting for Superman showed audiences the political spectacle surrounding the bipartisan passage of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Consequently, states instituted curricular changes to conform to NCLB accountability mandates that created a systematic curricular culture that I define as the prioritization of the standardization of curriculum, instruction, and leadership in education through accountability measures that are tied to neoliberal and market-driven approaches to determining teacher effectiveness, student learning, and what constitutes knowledge. The purpose of this study is to examine the history of neoliberal education in the U.S. that influenced the passage of NCLB in order to contextualize the political spectacle and rhetoric as seen in Waiting for Superman that still impacts education reform today.

Author

• Katherine A. Perrotta, Mercer University