Similar Problems, Different Solutions? Comparing Educational Reform in the USA and New Zealand

Abstract

In the U.S., the "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB) Act of 2002 emerged as a response to concerns about America's educational performance on the global stage, specifically regarding reading and writing amongst primary and secondary students. However, while the act brought about specific improvements, it also unveiled many unintended consequences, leading to its eventual amendment by the "Every Student Succeeds" Act (ESSA) in 2015. New Zealand introduced the National Standards in Education to bolster literacy and numeracy competencies among primary-grade students. However, like the NCLB, the National Standards in reading, writing, and mathematics had its share of critiques, leading to its abolishment a decade later. Several policy changes followed, leading to a more holistic and inclusive approach to education. Through a comparative lens, the paper aims to understand the complexities of educational policy-making and what contributes to the successes and failures in the cases of NCLB and National Standards and its respective reforms. The paper concludes that New Zealand has made more drastic policy reforms that deal with the underlying issues of National Standards. At the same time, the United States failed to do so with NCLB, so New Zealand has found more success in constructing a holistic educational system.