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In ESEA Wake, School Data Flowing Forth

By Lynn Olson

Nearly two years after its passage, the No Child Left Behind Act has produced one unambiguous result: an avalanche of data on the performance of public schools in the United States. But a survey of the 50 states and the District of Columbia by Education Week found less movement on other fronts, such as the number of states now testing in the required grades.

Moreover, many states are still struggling to mesh their existing systems for rating schools with the federal law, which has resulted in confusing messages about what all the numbers mean. The disparities have contributed to a backlash against the law's requirements in some corners that's likely to mount as the nation heads into an election year. President Bush has touted the 2001 reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act as one of his foremost accomplishments.

"There's been a lot of push back of late about the accountability requirements in No Child Left Behind," said Kati Haycock, the president of the Washington-based Education Trust. The group, which advocates high academic standards especially for disadvantaged students, has been a major...