NCLB

The reform agenda for American K-12 education at the beginning of the new century is embodied in the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), the reauthorized Elementary and Secondary Act. Congressional mandates and Administration priorities under NCLB focus on four pillars: (1) accountability for results, (2) research-based programs and practices, (3) expanded parental options, and (4) expanded flexibility and local control. NCLB has set a clear agenda while representing a dramatic transformation in the governance and management of elementary and secondary education.

Commenting on this transformation, Tucker (2003) observes that until NCLB, "the federal government has addressed the problems of poor and minority students largely by providing more funds to schools to help such students. Now, the government is saying that it expects to see results and is going to hold schools, districts and states responsible for producing them, with…consequences for those that do not. This is an enormous victory for poor and minority children and, therefore, for the country" (p. 13). But does the educational system -- especially the state departments of education -- have the capacity to improve its performance at an unprecedented rate when they are typically understaffed, facing budget challenges and downsizing, and when those staff that remain are largely unprepared for the new roles and responsibilities posed by NCLB?

Under the U.S. Constitution, education is a state responsibility. NCLB has reinforced the state role. The federal role has changed, but not gone away. Federal resources continue to provide assistance to states, districts, and schools to implement NCLB and other purposes. Among these resources are the comprehensive centers, the regional educational laboratories, and the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance.

NCLB requires states to create a single accountability system. At the core of this system, states must set Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) targets based on the gap between where districts and schools currently are in meeting NCLB goals of 100% proficiency in reading and math by the 2013-2014 school year. In addition, with its emphasis on closing the achievement gap, the law stipulates that state, districts and schools must disaggregate results by student subgroups (race, ethnicity, social economic status, limited English proficiency, and special education). Not meeting AYP targets for even one subgroup of students for two years can identify a school as needing improvement. For many high poverty urban districts with the majority of its students belonging to multiple subgroups, the gap between where they currently are and AYP targets is large and daunting. NCLB also ensures that parents and the public will be informed about school performance.

Examples of state report card in the Mid-Atlantic region include: