No Child Left Behind in California? The impact of the federal NCLB Act so far
January 2004
The complex federal law known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is beginning to affect schools and change the look of education reform in California.
The state and NCLB share a standards-based reform model with strong accountability provisions and a common goal of closing the achievement gaps between high- and low-performing students. Even so, NCLB’s many requirements have prompted the state to make significant changes in various aspects of California’s reform policies—just when the state’s new reforms were becoming familiar to educators and parents.
This new report looks at these changes and the implications for K–12 schools going forward. Here are some highlights of our research:
- Both federal and state lawmakers see strong accountability systems as the key strategy for improvement, but NCLB differs from California law in some notable ways. NCLB toughens the test-participation requirements and places greater emphasis on the progress of subgroups of students. As a result, the public will see some schools that were making good progress under California’s Academic Performance Index (API) accountability system suddenly classified as “in need of improvement” under NCLB. In California, initially only schools receiving Title I federal funding (targeted to socioeconomically disadvantaged students) will be subject to NCLB sanctions.
- The new federal law calls for schools and districts to report on English learners as a significant subgroup and expects schools to help them acquire English fluency at a quicker pace. California will feel this pressure much more than other states because of its large non-English speaking student population. Not without controversy, NCLB also expects that most Special Education students can and should meet the same academic standards set for the rest of the student population.
- NCLB’s definition of a “highly qualified teacher” is largely aligned with credentialing requirements California recently put in place for all new teachers in the state. However, the NCLB provision also applies to experienced teachers, requiring the state to develop a new process that local districts and schools must use to document and certify the subject-matter competency of teachers already at the school.
- NCLB created new federal requirements related to public information and parent communication, in some cases forcing modifications of existing efforts in California. NCLB gives parents new rights to remove their children from schools that are in need of improvement and to get extra academic help for their children at the school’s expense.
This report includes an analysis of school performance as well as a discussion of the law’s numerous implications for California education policy and school improvement initiatives. Although the new federal law has many advocates, most will agree it is not flawless. Educators, policymakers, and parents will be watching closely to see whether these federal requirements will help—or hinder—schools as they struggle to better meet the needs of California’s youth, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Download No Child Left Behind in California? for free. (PDF 224K)
For a brief summary of this report, you can download the Executive Summary for free.
See our NCLB FAQ for answers to commonly asked questions about the No Child Left Behind Act. The FAQ is also available in Spanish.
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