Critics Re-Evaluate Education Reform Act After One Year
By Charles Dervarics
The one-year anniversary of the No Child Left Behind Act brought its share of praise and criticism this month as organizations from the White House to grass-roots groups disagreed on the law’s breadth and effectiveness.
A major rewriting of federal K-12 law, the act requires schools to make annual yearly progress or face major sanctions. The law also contains new programs to promote teacher development and education that involve colleges and universities.
“We can say that the work of reform is well begun,” President Bush said at a ceremony marking the law’s first anniversary. “Accountability for results is now the law of the land,” he said, as schools will be judged on their annual progress across a common benchmark.
