In 2002, No Child Left Behind ushered in sweeping changes in school accountability. Diverging from the federal government's long history of leaving this matter largely to the states, a Congress broadly dissatisfied with the slow pace of educational improvement stepped in with a new framework designed to set schools on a path to getting all…

Implementation of the "No Child Left Behind Act" for the first time, required states to hold every school and district accountable to the same standards of academic performance, standards that apply to all students, including the low-income and minority students who have been traditionally underserved. Because states must report their progress to…