Beth KanarekPeriod 1Ms. Gillis, AP Language3/21/14Left Behind using No Child Left BehindPulitzer Prize winner for editorial cartooning, David Horsey, in No Child Left Behind, shows the effects of the No Child Left Behind system in schools. Horsey's purpose is to demonstrate how No Child Left Behind has negative effects on the way schools teach in today's society. Using contrasting colors and exaggerated images, he illustrates the way schools are forced to teach children to demonstrate to American voters that this system must be changed. Horsey uses this cartoon to argue that the No Child Left Behind policy is not as healthy for schools and students as it might seem on paper. No Child Left Behind is a law passed in 2002 as a reauthorization of a previously passed law, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Both were passed to ensure equal education in public schools. In theory this seems like a fantastic way to make sure teachers aren't slacking on their disadvantaged students. In practice, the method of controlling schools has received criticism from many. In Horsey's political cartoon, the first thing the viewer's eye is drawn to is the large woman in black. Without thinking too much, one can assume that the large woman is an insensitive teacher due to her hunched posture, dark clothes, and bulky-looking nose. These characteristics are used to symbolize the government that is forcing today's school system to rely on filling bubbles on a Scantron. The viewer's gaze will then be led to the little girl dreamily peering out the window. The little girl appears to jump up to see out the window, her eyes barely crossing the barrier between the class r... center of the paper... the high test scores. They are also all connected to some sort of machine that resembles that of a science fiction brainwashing machine. The pipes and round hat illustrate how Horsey and many others believe that schools brainwash children into believing that the only way to succeed in life is to not be left behind in math, reading, or writing. Horsey's cartoon captures an exaggerated vision of what most audiences view classrooms as today. With these exaggerations, Horsey manages to demonstrate the apparent contrast in how the arts are treated versus how standardized tests are treated. The machines on some children's heads show what the school wants students to think, the tests and what they need to do to pass them. This illustrates the problems with current No Child Left Behind laws and exemplifies how schools and students think.