No Child Left Behind Act

Education news, analysis, and opinion about the version of the Elementary and Secondary Schools Act in place from 2002 to 2015. It was replaced by the Every Student Succeeds Act.

Explainer

No Child Left Behind: An Overview
A primer on the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. Its successor, the Every Student Succeeds Act, replaced NCLB in Dec. 2015.
The U.S. Department of Education, in Washington, D.C., pictured on February 21, 2021.
The U.S. Department of Education, in Washington, D.C., pictured on February 21, 2021.
Graeme Sloan/Sipa USA via AP Images
Federal Explainer The U.S. Department of Education, Explained
There's a lot of talk—again—about eliminating the U.S. Department of Education. Here's what it does and how it works.
Libby Stanford, October 14, 2024
12 min read
Red, Blue, and Purple colors over a fine line etching of the Capitol building. Republicans and Democrats, Partisan Politicians.
Douglas Rissing/iStock
Federal Opinion Federal Education Reform Has Largely Failed. Unfortunately, We Still Need It
Neither NCLB nor ESSA have lived up to their promise, but the problems calling for national action persist.
Jack Jennings, June 7, 2024
4 min read
Photo of magnifying glass and charts.
iStock / Getty Images Plus
Standards & Accountability What the Research Says What Should Schools Do to Build on 20 Years of NCLB Data?
The education law yielded a cornucopia of student information, but not scalable turnaround for schools, an analysis finds.
Sarah D. Sparks, March 29, 2023
3 min read
Close up of a student holding pencil and writing the answer on a bubble sheet assessment test with blurred students at their desks in the background
iStock/Getty
Standards & Accountability Education Secretary: Standardized Tests Should No Longer Be a 'Hammer'
But states won't ease accountability requirements until federal law tells them to do so, policy experts say.
Libby Stanford, January 31, 2023
5 min read
Leadership Reports Big Ideas 2022: 10 Broad Trends In K-12 Education in 10 Charts
Drawing upon the results of two nationally representative surveys, this report sums up 10 broad K-12 trends in 10 accompanying charts.
October 14, 2022
Image shows a multi-tailed arrow hitting the bullseye of a target.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
Every Student Succeeds Act Opinion 20 Years Ago, NCLB Kinda, Sorta Worked. That's the Problem
NCLB's political success gave rise to a more complicated reality of lax academic standards and public cynicism.
Rick Hess, October 3, 2022
3 min read
Conceptual illustration
Adolfo Valle for Education Week
Equity & Diversity Reported Essay When Did Equity Become a 'Trigger' Word?
Education equity may be inscribed in federal law, but that doesn't mean everyone agrees on what it means.
Stephen Sawchuk, September 6, 2022
12 min read
Equity & Diversity Video For Decades, Our Nation Supported Equity. Now, We’re Divided Over It
Federal law makes it clear that all public school students should reach a basic level of academic mastery, so what are we arguing about?
Stephen Sawchuk, September 6, 2022
2:49
President George W. Bush, left, participates in the swearing-in ceremony for the Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, center, at the U.S. Dept. of Education on Jan. 31, 2005 in Washington. On the far right holding a bible is her husband Robert Spellings.
President George W. Bush, left, participates in the swearing-in ceremony for the Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, center, at the U.S. Dept. of Education on Jan. 31, 2005 in Washington. On the far right holding a bible is her husband Robert Spellings.
AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais
Standards & Accountability Timeline: How Federal School Accountability Has Waxed and Waned
From its origins in the 1990s to the most-recent tack, see how the federal approach to accountability has shifted.
Stephen Sawchuk, May 11, 2022
4 min read
Image shows a multi-tailed arrow hitting the bullseye of a target.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
Standards & Accountability Opinion What Next-Gen Accountability Can Learn From No Child Left Behind
As we ponder what's next for accountability and assessment, we’d benefit from checking the rearview mirror more attentively and more often.
Rick Hess, August 11, 2021
4 min read
Federal Bernie Sanders' Record on Testing and No Child Left Behind: A Brief History
The Democratic presidential candidate likes to highlight his vote against the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001, although his record on the issue of high-stakes standardized testing isn't black and white.
Andrew Ujifusa, February 26, 2020
6 min read
Joe Biden, former vice president and newly announced candidate for president in 2020, speaks at a rally for striking grocery workers in Boston last month.
Joe Biden, former vice president and newly announced candidate for president in 2020, speaks at a rally for striking grocery workers in Boston last month.
Michael Dwyer/AP
Federal Presidential Candidate Joe Biden Has K-12 Record as Senator, VP
Joe Biden has more history with K-12 education policy than any of the other current presidential candidates; but it's not all good history.
Andrew Ujifusa, April 30, 2019
2 min read
School Choice & Charters Opinion David Osborne on Reinventing Government (of Schools)
In discussing a recent book on remaking U.S. schools by David Osborne, Marc Tucker explores how his own views on school choice, competition and accountability have evolved over the years.
Marc Tucker, October 25, 2018
10 min read
Reading & Literacy Opinion Are the Reading Wars 'Settled Science'?
I certainly hope there's never a rigid, unchanging agreement on the One Best Way to teach people of any age to read. All scholarly disciplines should undergo regular re-assessment, as research reshapes knowledge. There are still classrooms in the United States, after all, where evolution is not settled science.
Nancy Flanagan, May 2, 2018
3 min read