In 2002, the Monroe County, Georgia, school system was, according to its then-superintendent Scott Cowart, "underperforming." Test scores were low, and several schools faced interventions under the new No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). One decade later, the 4,000-student school district in central Georgia is one of the highest-performing…

Family, school, and community partnerships are a critical part of student achievement, but the successful establishment of meaningful partnerships with low-income and minority populations remains elusive. In 1994, legislators in the United States passed a version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) that seeks to address this…

The Secretary of Education has expressed strong support for school diversity and reduction of racial isolation in speeches and in the Joint Guidance on Voluntary School Integration, and the Department of Education (DOE) has included a general preference for school integration among its permissible funding preferences. However, this support for…

This brief summarizes the lessons learned during a February 2010 AYPF study mission to North Carolina that examined how rural education systems are providing high quality instruction and improving the readiness of young people for life beyond high school. Participants learned about how federal and state policies and funding streams affect rural…

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB Act) reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and provided a framework through which families, educators, and communities can work together to improve teaching and learning. Four principles guide this framework: (1) accountability for results; (2) local control and flexibility; (3)…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) Global Competitiveness Report: United States's Slide Continues in Annual Ranking; Falls to Number Four; (2) New…

The relatively poor academic achievement of black and Hispanic students has been a national concern since the passage of the "Elementary Secondary and Education Act" in 1963. Frustrated with relatively slow progress in closing these educational gaps, the most recent reauthorization of the ESEA, the "No Children Left Behind Act of…

The issue of whether the federal government should outline and enforce an accountability system for states, school districts, and schools was essentially settled the day that George W. Bush took office as president. Bush had made "accountability" a cornerstone of his education platform, using his stated goal of ensuring equity for poor…

Achievements cited for ESEA include that it broke the log jam on federal aid to education, spotted the needs of children, fueled other movements toward equality of educational opportunity, recruited quality personnel, promoted public-nonpublic cooperation, promoted parental and community involvement, and the evaluation/accountability movement.…

This brief examines critical issues that charter schools and their authorizers will face as states respond to the No Child Left Behind Act's (NCLB) new accountability provisions. The first section provides a context for the NCLB and summarizes its major accountability provisions, discussing timelines for states to put these systems into place and…

This paper argues that the intent of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965 and subsequent amendments to improve and equalize educational opportunities for the disadvantaged have been aborted by impotent enforcement and insufficient appropriation of resources. Research findings and highlights from major educational evaluations…

In addition to presenting statistical, fiscal, and graphic data, this report summarizing division work during fiscal 1975 is designed (1) to help educators and other interested persons to understand the various programs administered by the division; (2) to review their size and scope; (3) to comprehend the past, present, and potential impact of…