Thousands of schools across the country are chronically low performing, and they operate within districts and states that are struggling to help them improve. The School Improvement Grants (SIG) program is designed to channel federal funds to states and districts facing the task of turning around struggling schools. SIG, a part of the Elementary…

Effective teachers are critical to raising achievement and closing long-standing gaps among student subgroups. Research on this point has become absolutely clear: Students who have three or four strong teachers in a row will soar academically, regardless of racial or economic background, while those who have a sequence of weak teachers will fall…

This report by the Center on Education Policy (CEP), an independent nonprofit organization, examines trends in the achievement of high school students on the state reading/English language arts (ELA) and mathematics tests used for accountability under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). This study confirms that there is reason for concern about…

A national consensus has emerged around the educational expectations for all students. Rigorous standards for college and career readiness developed by state leaders have been adopted by 44 states and the District of Columbia. State leaders have formed two consortia that are designing new assessments to support these standards. This shared…

It's no surprise that, 28 years after the publication of "A Nation at Risk," school-reform efforts have generated so little effect. The nation's schools have proven, over the past century, adept at resisting change. Recent attempts to inject accountability and innovation have brought an important opportunity. No Child Left Behind helped…

The author reports on a new study which reveals that the lowest-performing public K-8 schools often linger in that state for years, neither improving enough to get off accountability life support nor being shuttered completely. The study adds that persistently failing charter schools fare no better than regular public schools. Of 2,025 chronically…

Compelling empirical research shows that a positive and sustained school climate promotes students' academic achievement and healthy development. Not surprisingly, a positive school climate also promotes teacher retention, which itself enhances student success. Yet the knowledge of the effects of school climate on learning has not been translated…

The underlying principles of No Child Left Behind (NCLB)--the demand for high standards, greater accountability, and the focus on long-overlooked student populations--are good. NCLB has done well for public education. Still, tens of thousands of educators nationwide are hoping that this year's reauthorization debate in Congress will lead to…

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) placed a new focus and accountability on the achievement levels of English learners by requiring that they develop English proficiency and meet the same academic standards that all children are expected to meet by year 2014. Administrators and teachers are looking at ways English learners might progress more…

This article presents an interview with J. Michael Ortiz, a member of the Aspen Institute's Commission on No Child Left Behind, on the issues concerning the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Aspen Institute's Commission is an independent panel that was established in 2006 to conduct a high-level review of the federal government's signature…

Backers of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) based their support on the belief that teachers and administrators primarily were responsible for low levels of achievement by America's poor. But this one-sided view is both inadequate and unsupported by the evidence. The author argues that harsh social policies and the pernicious effects of poverty are more…

School districts, individual schools, and education policies all contribute to student achievement. But it can be argued that the most important contributing factor is the quality of the teacher in the classroom. Evaluating teacher quality is complicated, yet it has become even more important with the testing and assessment focus of No Child Left…

This article discusses why the work of central-office administrators and building administrators seem so disconnected from one another. The fact that central-office administrators and principals seem to travel in orbits with different paths, with seemingly few areas of significant overlap, has a decidedly negative impact on the ability of the…

Since 2002's "No Child Left Behind" Act (NCLB), Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) has become education jargon, what all schools must achieve in student academic improvement. By 2014, all students must meet math and reading standards. Only Title I schools not meeting AYP are subject to federal sanctions, but most every school failing AYP…

In this article, the author discusses the present academic situation of middle schools. Middle schools are gaining the reputation of being the "wasteland" of American education, a perception bolstered by the accountability measures under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) act. When the act was just getting underway, about 18% of all Title I…