This study is a mixed-methods case study of Antelope Valley High School (AVHS). AVHS was one of the first six schools in California to receive academic sanctions since the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. It was also the first high school to receive a State Trustee who was embedded at the school every day for two school years. AVHS…

Purpose: The No Child Left Behind Act laudably brings social justice and equity issues to the forefront; however, the act's threat- and sanction-driven methods are not only increasing stress levels but potentially causing a rigid response, especially in the growing population of schools labeled "program improvement" (PI). Specifically,…

This article presents a progress report on urban school districts' efforts to execute the mandates of the No Child Left Behind Act, a law they greeted with both hope and fear due to the sanctions it authorized against failing systems. To investigate their progress, the Council of the Great City Schools conducted a survey of its 60 member urban…