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Mackenzie Smith

Professor Cusick

EDU 205 – 47

7 December 2020

Relation of Willowbrook State School to the NCLB Act

The disaster of what became the Willowbrook State School had paved the way for

important and resourceful acts to be passed in regards to allowing people with disabilities to

attain an education. Furthermore, the following acts had been passed thereafter the horrific

investigation of this Staten Island institution: the Elementary and Secondary Education Act,

otherwise known as the ESEA, followed by the No Child Left Behind Act, otherwise known as

the NCLB, leading to the Every Student Succeeds Act, or ESSA, to be passed shortly after.

These acts have played a very important role in the education realm and helping students who

need the most help succeed.

To begin, the Willowbrook State School was a large Staten Island facility that housed and

admitted mentally disabled patients from upstate institutions. Willowbrook began to increase

popularity and soon overfilled with little staff working to run the school. Those who attended

Willowbrook constantly were neglected, huddled in rooms, moaning and fidgeting with little

care and resources. Many lacked clothes and some sat in their own urine and feces, which is truly

repulsive. Sexual and physical abuse was common, along with disease (“Willowbrook, The

Institution That Shocked A Nation Into Changing Its Laws”). Learning about what actually had

gone on behind these walls was truly disturbing and did not sit well with me. It is important we

recognize what started the movement of equitable education for those with disabilities. The

Willowbrook patients went through an ample amount of torture and were greatly abandoned.
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Those who went through this should not have had to been treated like this in order for change to

happen. Moreover, it is crucial that we trace our steps and learn from history’s mistakes in order

to prevent these things from happening again.

In addition to the Willowbrook State School disgrace, many acts had followed the closing

of the chamber. To start off, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) had been

passed in 1965. This act had funded primary and secondary education, emphasizing high

standards and accountability. Funds were authorized for professional development, instructional

materials, resources to support educational programs, and the promotion of parental involvement.

It also required students to complete standardized testing through grades 3-8 (“Implementing

Programs Under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act”). Following the ESEA,

the NCLB or the “No Child Left Behind” Act had been passed in 2001. This act sought to scale

up the federal role in holding schools accountable for student outcomes. The law placed a special

focus on ensuring that states and schools boosted the performance of English-language learners,

students in special education, and poor and minority students. The law continued the requirement

of state mandated testing, but criticism arose when federal government relied too much on

standardized testing (“No Child Left Behind Overview: Definitions, Requirements, Criticisms,

and More”). Most importantly, the “Every Student Succeeds Act”, or the ESSA, is the NCLB act

with revisions amended. This act was passed in 2015 and is the current law that upholds the

accountability for how students learn and achieve. As stated before, this act revised and amended

some things mentioned in the ESEA and NCLB. Within this law, states decide the education

plans for their schools within a framework provided by the federal government. The law offers

parents a chance to weigh in on these plans that are made. Parents additionally have more input

into the learning plans of students with special education services. Mandated student testing is
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still carried out through this law, while it stands to encourage personalized learning (“THE

ESSENCE OF ESSA”).

As a result of these acts, it is the priority of the federal government to give all students an

equal and equitable opportunity to attain an education. Tracing the timeline of this movement,

starting from the Willowbrook State School, up until the NCLB and ESSA acts, is essential and

allows us to critically examine the changes that have been made. It is necessary that as people,

we recognize how important the accessibility to education is. Everyone has a right to education;

it is beneficial to recognize how these events connect to each other and how they still hold

relevance in today’s society. For example, High School graduation rates are at an all-time high

and dropout rates are significantly lower. More students are attending college because of the

increase in opportunity for education within groups who need it (“Every Student Succeeds Act”).

These acts have positively affected today’s education system and will continue to help students

in need in the future.

All in all, I chose to research this topic because special education is very important to me.

My brother, Kaden, has a disability: Down Syndrome. He has a specialized learning plan and

attends a school that meets the special needs of kids like him. Kaden deserves the right to have

an education and to learn. Just because he has a disability does not mean that he should be denied

the right of education. I found it interesting to see how the struggle for education for disabled

students progressed over time. The history behind this movement was quite disturbing, but as

time went on, there were necessary changes made to help these students succeed. Likewise, I

believe it is crucial that we recognize the impacts these events discussed in my padlet have had

on today’s education system. We have made major progress since the 1900s, in hopes we will

move forward in the future and will not regress. The steps that were taken to get to the position
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we are currently in will not be forgotten. Optimistically, many wish that the education world will

continue to advance like this hereafter.

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Works Cited

"THE ESSENCE OF ESSA: More control at the district level? The relationship between state

education departments and local districts is evolving under the Every Student Succeeds

Act." Phi Delta Kappan, vol. 101, no. 2, Oct. 2019, p. 14. Gale In Context: College,

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A606482607/CSIC?

u=sewe78962&sid=CSIC&xid=b1f0e31b. Accessed 20 June 2020.

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), U.S. Department of Education, www.ed.gov/essa?src=rn.

Implementing Programs Under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Federal

Information & News Dispatch, LLC, Washington, 2015. ProQuest,

http://libproxy.rcsj.edu:2048/login?url=https://www-proquest-

com.libproxy.rcsj.edu:2443/docview/1750988191?accountid=11137.

Klein, Alyson. “No Child Left Behind Overview: Definitions, Requirements, Criticisms, and

More.” Education Week, 2 Apr. 2020, www.edweek.org/ew/section/multimedia/no-child-

left-behind-overview-definition-summary.html.

Reimann, Matt. “Willowbrook, The Institution That Shocked A Nation Into Changing Its Laws.”

Medium, Timeline, 15 June 2017, timeline.com/willowbrook-the-institution-that-

shocked-a-nation-into-changing-its-laws-c847acb44e0d.