No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is a complex and controversial federal educational reform initiative that was signed into law in 2002. It was a reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. NCLB dramatically increased federal mandates and requirements on states and public school districts and schools. In fact, NCLB represented the most significant expansion in U.S. history of the federal government into education. At the same time, NCLB gave states a [Page 663]great deal of flexibility in determining how they will implement much of the law.

Much of the political impetus for the passage of NCLB was provided by the results of state and national assessments of student progress, particularly the National Assessment of Educational Progress, which had shown that student achievement in reading and math had remained stagnant over the previous 40 years despite massive infusions of federal money. These facts led legislators to argue that the federal educational funds should be spent in a more effective manner and should be tied to measures of accountability. Specifically, NCLB was a reaction to low academic achievement in general, and reading in particular, by America's students. For the first time, the federal government in NCLB began requiring states and school districts to use numerical data to provide evidence of improved student outcomes.

The primary purpose of NCLB was to ensure that students in public schools achieved important learning outcomes while being educated in safe classrooms by well-prepared teachers. To accomplish these goals, NCLB required that states develop challenging academic achievement standards and assess public school students annually on their progress toward meeting these standards. Specifically, public schools were required to ensure that all public school students would reach proficiency in reading, math, and science by the 2013–2014 school year. NCLB included three mandates to reach this ambitious goal: accountability, evidence-based instruction, and highly qualified teachers.