With its focusing on high-stakes testing in reading and math, NCLB has narrowed the curriculum. This focus comes at the expense of instruction in social studies, the arts, science, and health and denies many students access to the quality curriculums that students in more affluent schools enjoy. NCLB is now the prescribed method of treatment for the achievement gaps in our schools, but it has several serious side effects: It has resulted in an imbalanced curriculum, it demoralizes teachers, and it encourages manipulation of the numbers. School leaders should take into account the many models that have been proposed over the years--the broad fields approach or the crucial issues approach, for example--to establish a framework for developing a balanced core curriculum for all students. The federal government can also help in a number of creative ways to ensure true student achievement.