No Child Left Behind

No Child Left Behind (NCLB), which was signed into law on January 8, 2002, represents the most sweeping reform of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act since it was enacted in 1965. It redefines the federal role in K-12 education to help improve the academic achievement of all students by increasing federal funding and oversight in state education policy. There are four basic principles in NCLB:

Increased assessment and accountability, where each state and the District of Columbia is required to demonstrate that it has developed challenging standards for students in reading, math, and science; schools must show adequate annual progress, and must issue annual report cards on school performance and state-wide test results; after five years schools that fail to show adequate annual progress must be restructured by, for example, reopening the school as a charter, replacing curriculum and school staff, or turning the school over to the state or a private company.

Greater emphasis on teacher quality standards, where public schools in which scores fail to improve over six years must change staff; all core academic classes (such as math and English) must be taught by qualified teachers by the 2005-2006 school year. "Qualified" is defined as at least a bachelor's degree, state certification, and demonstrated subject-area competency.

Expanded education options for parents, where school districts are required to permit and assist students at struggling schools to transfer to a better school (including a charter) within the district; or students may receive supplemental educational services (such as tutoring, after-school programs, or summer school) funded by their schools.

Expanded flexibility and local control in the use of federal dollars, where for the first time, most local school districts have latitude in determining how to use up to 50 percent of the federal funds they receive; rural schools and districts can determine how to spend federal funds on local priorities; and districts can explore way of improving teacher quality.

For more information on No Child Left Behind please contact the U.S. Department of Education at www.ed.gov/nclb.