Federal Grants

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001 was signed into law on January 8, 2002 by President Bush. The Act represents the federal government's education reform plan and contains the most sweeping changes to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) since it was enacted in 1965. NCLB Changes the federal government's role in K-12 education by focusing on school success as measured by student achievement. The Act also contains the federal government's four basic education reform principles:

• stronger accountability for results
• increased flexibility and local control
• expanded options for parents
• an emphasis on teaching methods that have been proven to work

Most people are familiar with the accountability requirements of NCLB. The law requires districts to administer annual tests to students in grades 3-8 and 11 to determine levels of proficiency in language arts literacy and mathematics.