The No Child Left Behind Act of 2002—popularly known as NCLB—mandates increased accountability for school performance, gives states and communities freedom in the use of Title I funding, targets federal funds to scientifically proven education programs and methods, and provides options to parents when schools do not meet standards. Since NCLB's inception, several RAND projects and reports have made unique and valuable contributions to the education policy debate.
MULTIMEDIA
At this June 2011 RAND Policy Circle event in Pittsburgh, a selection of RAND's top experts in education policy shared fresh, evidence-based perspectives on measuring school performance.
REPORT
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) could be reauthorized in 2011, and there is much discussion about the most-effective way to balance federal and state responsibilities for improving schools and how best to frame federal policy to promote this goal.
RESEARCH BRIEF
To improve schools, federal policymakers should consider state capacity, cost, and state politics and design policies that support more experimentation, evaluation, and dissemination of new knowledge while avoiding a one-size-fits-all approach.
NEWS RELEASE
Expanding measures of school performance beyond mathematics and English language arts will give educators better information when evaluating the academic achievements of schools.
REPORT
Expanding measures of school performance beyond mathematics and English language arts will give educators better information when evaluating the academic achievements of schools.
RESEARCH BRIEF
How can the upcoming reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act encourage states to expand their measures of school performance to address goals beyond just mathematics and English Language Arts?
JOURNAL ARTICLE
The authors assemble the first comprehensive, national, school-level dataset concerning detailed performance measures used to calculate Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).
PERIODICAL
Features discuss retirement patterns of baby boomers, marijuana legalization, drug enforcement in Europe, and No Child Left Behind; news items cover the Gulf coast, food allergies, the U.S. health reform law, police benefits, and Pakistani militants.
NEWS RELEASE
Congress and the Obama administration should use the upcoming reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 to promote more consistent and rigorous academic standards across states, as well as more consistent and relevant teacher qualification requirements.
REPORT
Congress and the Obama administration should use the upcoming reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 to promote more consistent and rigorous academic standards across states, as well as more consistent and relevant teacher qualification requirements.
RESEARCH BRIEF
Studies suggest that the No Child Left Behind Act's goal of 100 percent of U.S. students proficient in reading and mathematics by 2014 will not be met. Broad implementation guidelines have resulted in a different accountability system in every state.
COMMENTARY
Based on the results of statewide standardized tests, more than 15 percent of U.S. schools are in need of improvement. The students attending these schools need help, writes Megan Beckett.
JOURNAL ARTICLE
The authors report insights, based on annual site visits to elementary and middle schools in three states from 2004 to 2006, into the incentive effect of the No Child Left Behind Act's requirement that increasing percentages of students make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in every public school.
JOURNAL ARTICLE
This paper studies student participation and achievement in two Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS) tutoring programs--the No Child Left Behind (NCLB)-mandated supplemental education services (SES) program and a state-developed tutoring program. The authors examine the characteristics of students participating in each program, the effects of participation on student achievement, and the program features that are associated with improved…
RESEARCH BRIEF
RAND recommends five policy actions to improve the accountability system established by No Child Left Behind.
RESEARCH BRIEF
Only a small percentage of eligible students elect to switch to better-performing schools under the No Child Left Behind Act. RAND recommends policy actions and investments to increase the percentage of families who exercise the school choice option.
JOURNAL ARTICLE
A key aim of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) is to provide school choice or supplemental educational services to predominantly low-income parents whose children are attending Title I schools identified for improvement, but in recent years only a small fraction of families have taken advantage of these options.
RESEARCH BRIEF
Although the availability of No Child Left Behind public school choice and supplemental educational options continues to expand for students in underperforming schools, only a small percentage of eligible students participate in these programs.
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