Public policy is full of rhetorical messages, and the ways in which
politicians use rhetoric shapes the mindset of a society. This is
especially true when it comes to federally mandated policy written in
regard to America's public education system. The No Child Left Behind
Act is by far the most controversial education reform artifact ever
published due to its insistence punishing non-compliant schools. This
system of surveillance, coupled with other issues that will be discussed
herein, have caused most educators to loudly criticize the bill, while
the Bush administration under which it was enacted refuses to back off
on its insistence that the act will work. In order to gain a rhetorical
perspective on discourse, it is vital to look at the relationship
between historical events and the rhetoric surrounding them. Thus, this
text provides a rhetorical analysis of NCLB and how it measures in a
rhetorical and historical context with other modern educational reform
artifacts. I make the argument that an act cannot be successful on its
name alone, but that is exactly the logic supporters of the No Child
Left Behind Act are using.