NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND

•          Obliged most primary and secondary schools to report relatively standardized attendance and achievement data 

•          A key requirement of this law, passed in 2002, is that all children show they are proficient in reading and math by 2014.

•         At least 37 states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have indicated that they intend to seek waivers. Texas, California, New York and Pennsylvania are considering other tactics.

    WHAT WE HAD HOPED FOR DURING RE-AUTHORIZATION

·         100% testing – no excuses

·         Extension of the achievement reporting to colleges and universities

·         A focus on employment as opposed to a high school diploma as the goal

·         Attonomic (individual student/subject) reporting as opposed to school level

·         Broadening the tested curriculum to include arts, technology and languages

·         Longer school years and longer school days (220 days; 8 hours)

·         Uniform state tests

·         Increased emphasis on virtual classes

·         Universal all-digital Individual Education Plans (IEPs)

·         Anonymous statistical summaries so a parent can determine how well students similar to his or her child have fared with particular teachers

·         A realization that, far from being a financial liability, purposed spending on education is now the only scalable trigger for an economic recovery. Attempting a turnaround with a damaged infrastructure, without increasing taxes, with depleted teaching resources, and without any dramatic increases in real estate value will require considerable effort.