Common Good home page

No Child Left Behind (NCLB)

This law is the most recent version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), originally passed in 1965. Congress' purpose in passing the ESEA was to improve the academic achievement of the disadvantaged. The new law represents a sweeping overhaul of federal efforts to improve elementary and secondary education in the United States.

Confused about how this law works with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)? Read this from the National Education Association and National Association of State Directors of Special Education.

Read all 670 pages of NCLB here or here (in .pdf), and its final regulations here.

Obligations

  • Schools must prepare annual "report cards" to update the public as to their progress as well as report annually as to whether they are complying with NCLB standards for teachers and programs;
  • Student achievement data must be presented according to demographic group -- schools will only be deemed to have made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) if students from each demographic group have made progress;
  • Areas in which at least 95% of students in each demographic group must show progress include math and reading, and, in a couple of years, science;
  • The law requires progress in at least one other "academic indicator," too, such as graduation rate;
  • Schools must use at least 5% of their funds to ensure that teachers are "highly qualified." If a school fails to make Adequate Yearly Progress, 20% of their funds shall be used for transportation and supplemental educational services (SES). At least 1% of their Title I funds (must not be less than $5,000) are to create and support parental involvement programs;
  • To ensure that they are paying reasonable prices for goods and services, school districts must receive at least three price quotes from different vendors for major purchases, ask manufacturers whether they can beat vendors' prices, demand detailed purchase orders, and establish uniform purchasing procedures;
  • Federal funds must supplement and not take the place of state revenues, local taxes, and public and private grants when providing school services;
  • Schools must inform parents if their child has received instruction from a teacher who is not "highly qualified" for four or more consecutive weeks. Schools must provide parents with teachers' background information if they request it;
  • Schools must inform parents if they fail to make Adequate Yearly Progress for at least two years in a row, as well as inform them about the Supplemental Educational Services available to help remedy the problem. Lowest performing students receive priority;
  • If a school does not make AYP for two years or is classified as persistently dangerous, students have the option to transfer to other public schools (not of their choice), even if others are full.

Legislative History

1965 - Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). Provided grants to elementary and secondary school programs for children of low-income families.

1968 - Elementary and Secondary Education Act Amendments of 1968. Modified existing ESEA by authorizing support for regional centers for education of handicapped children, support for dropout prevention projects, and support for bilingual education programs.

1970 - Elementary and Secondary Education Assistance Programs, Extension. Established a National Commission on School Finance.

1972 - Education Amendments of 1972. Amended programs.

1974 - Education Amendments of 1974. Consolidated some programs and established a National Center for Education statistics.

1978 - Education Amendments of 1978. Established a comprehensive basic skills program.

1981 - Education Consolidation and Improvement Act of 1981. Consolidated 42 programs into 7 programs to be funded under the elementary and secondary block grant authority.

1989 - Childhood Education and Development Act of 1989. Expanded the Head Start program carried out under ESEA to include child care services.

1990 - School Dropout Prevention and Basic Skills Improvement Act of 1990. Intended to improve secondary school programs and basic skills improvements.

1994 - Improving America 's Schools Act of 1994. Reauthorized and revamped ESEA -- includes "Title I," which was the federal government's largest program providing educational assistance to disadvantaged children; professional development and technical assistance programs; a safe and drug-free schools and communities provision; and provisions promoting school equity.

1998 - Charter School Expansion Act. Amended ESEA.

2000 - Consolidated Appropriations Act 2001. Amended ESEA to help charter schools.

2001 - NCLB. Reauthorized ESEA.

See the Office of New York City School and Community Services' website for more guidance.