This policy research document is intended for New Mexico policymakers to use when examining possible changes to the state assessment's alignment with the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The 2009 NAEP test is not yet in existence, so the purpose of this report is to give policymakers a head start in determining where they might,…

The number of schools that have failed to make "adequate yearly progress" under the federal No Child Left Behind Act is proving to be a moving target, as states clean up erroneous data and grant appeals to schools that challenge the unwanted label. Under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act that aims to raise students academic…

The looming expiration of the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) has prompted a flood of commission reports, studies, and punditry. Virtually all of those analyses have assumed that the law should and will be reauthorized, disagreeing only over how it should be revised. They have accepted the law's premises without argument: that…

Context: The context for this article is the public response to the federal role in the oversight and enforcement of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). This response has been characterized by a tension between concerns about federal interference in public education and support for…

Depending on who's talking, the Bush administration's signature education law either imposes an onerous financial burden on schools or provides enough aid for states and schools to administer it. This article discusses the study released by the Ohio Department of Education estimating that the state will spend about $1.5 billion a year to meet the…

This article discusses the increasing number of schools that met all of their 2004 annual achievement targets under U.S. federal law. Over half the states released at least preliminary lists of the number of schools that had made adequate yearly progress under the No Child Left Behind Act, based on 2003-04 test data. In general, the percentage of…

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 created the Early Reading First (ERF) program to enhance teacher practices, instructional content, and classroom environments in preschools and to help ensure that young children start school with the skills needed for academic success. This report to Congress describes the impacts of the Early Reading…

When students think about the obstacles they must overcome to get into a school, most probably are thinking in terms of SATs, ACTs or other entrance exams. However, for students with disabilities, the obstacles they face often are literal ones: manual doors. Accommodating those with disabilities or physical limitations is one reason for schools to…

Discusses the need for national skill standards and the problems associated with establishing them. Suggests tasks that must be completed: (1) reaching consensus on what constitutes an industry; (2) settling how specific the lists will be; (3) determining how to set standards; and (4) figuring out how to assess students and what certification…

One of the greatest concerns for music educators over the next few years will certainly be accountability for our work m the classroom. The National Standards for Music Education give teachers, guidance for what their students should be learning in music classes, but the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 has put additional demands on student…

If the No Child Left Behind law's prescription for "highly qualified" teachers had worked out the way it appears on paper, states would have gotten a good look at how far they had to go as far back as 2003. Then, as envisioned by Congress' 2001 overhaul of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, they would have marched steadily…

The U.S. Department of Education's latest move to grant more flexibility under the No Child Left Behind Act, this time aimed at helping schools that narrowly miss the law's requirement for high participation on standardized tests, was generally welcomed. The appetite for further adjustments appears to be growing. The new policy allows states to…

"Education Matters" is the monthly newsletter of the Association of American Educators (AAE), an organization dedicated to advancing the American teaching profession through personal growth, professional development, teacher advocacy and protection. This issue of the newsletter includes: (1) The Proficiency Illusion: Some States' Low Expectations…

In this article, the author provides a review and critique of key provisions in the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and documents some major effects of the law, which have not been positive for arts education and other subjects not formally tested under the law. Because NCLB is scheduled for reauthorization in 2007 or 2008, the author offers a…

For nearly 20 years the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) has been conducting the Shape of the Nation Report every few years to summarize information for the profession and the public regarding the status of physical education in the American educational system. The preeminent national authority on physical education…