What Is the No Child Left Behind Act?

Question: What Is the No Child Left Behind Act?

No Child Left Behind or NCLB is a well-intentioned legislative effort to hold public schools and teachers accountable.

Answer: No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is the 2002 update of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). The original legislation provides billions of dollars in federal aid to K-12 schools.

NCLB is President George Bush's attempt to hold the education establishment accountable by implementing testing in grades 3-8. Schools which do not reach the required standards are publicized so that parents can decide what course of action to take. NCLB also lays out a series of options which might be available to them.

The bottom line is that NCLB tries to do something about the nation's failing public schools. Accountability and assessment are integral parts of NCLB's overall strategy.

What are the benefits of NCLB for private schools? The benefits of NCLB mainly have to do with supplemental programs. Private schools, including religious schools, can apply to the local education authority for grants to run tutoring and other programs.

Has NCLB been a success? Deborah White looks at that question in Pros & Cons of the No Child Left Behind Act.

Resources

• No Child Left Behind
• Benefits to Private Schools
• The Parent's Guide to Private Schools

You can find the answers to more questions about private schools in Private School FAQs.