Accountability and High Standards States, school districts and schools are now being held accountable for ensuring that all students, including minority, disadvantaged, disabled and limited English proficient students, meet high academic standards. They are required to implement academic standards that reflect what all children are expected to know and be able to do.  

Annual Academic Assessments Annual data are a vital diagnostic tool for schools to achieve continuous improvement. Annual reading and mathematics assessments provide parents with the information they need to know about how well their child is doing in school and how well the school is educating their child. Under NCLB, each state will test, annually, its students in grades three through eight (and its high school students at one grade level) in at least reading or language arts and in mathematics. A sample of students in fourth and eighth grade in each state will be assessed annually with the National Assessment of Educational Progress in reading and mathematics.

Highly Qualified Teachers Being taught by highly qualified teachers is a critical aspect of a high-quality education program, yet all too often students with the greatest needs do not have access to highly qualified teachers. NCLB requires that highly qualified teachers teach all classes in the core academic subjects by no later than the end of the 2005-2006 school year.

Scientifically Based Research Practices Title I school-wide and targeted assistance programs, as well as activities carried out under the new Reading First program, are required to use effective methods and instructional strategies that are grounded in scientifically based research. School improvement plans, professional development and technical assistance that districts provide to low-performing schools must be based on strategies that have a proven record of effectiveness.

Consequences for Schools that Fail to Educate Disadvantaged Students Schools that fail to make adequate yearly progress for disadvantaged and other students will first receive assistance. If a school fails to make adequate yearly progress (AYP) for two consecutive years, students in that school may transfer to a higher-performing public or private school. If the school does not make AYP for a third year, disadvantaged students in that school may receive supplemental educational services from a provider of choice.

NCLB focuses on the essential elements school districts must address in closing achievement gaps at elementary and secondary schools around the nation.

Also important is increasing the representation of historically underrepresented groups at colleges and universities.  The Department coordinates efforts at the secondary school level to further this goal. On October 8, 2003, Secretary Rod Paige brought together experts to tackle the nation's "unrecognized educational crisis."The Secretary unveiled a series of measures to promote educational excellence at the high school level. These measures include the creation of a new leadership initiative for high schools called "Preparing America's Future," which seeks to build "the next generation of high schools" by working together with parents, teachers, principals and education policy makers, elected leaders and foundations. Preparing America's Future will focus on four goals: setting high expectations and accountability for results, creating options and engaging students, fostering world quality teaching and school leadership and facilitating a smooth transition into postsecondary education, training and careers. To help launch the effort, a series of regional summits on high school improvement will be held across the country.

School Choice

There are many schools fulfilling the goals of NCLB by giving a high-quality education in a school or program selected by students and their parents. Students are benefiting from a rigorous academic environment and are consequently excelling and competing with students from the best schools, garnering admission to prestigious preparatory schools and entering some of the nation's top colleges and universities. These schools are serving as a race-neutral pipeline to higher education for students who might not otherwise attend college. Some of these schools are highlighted below.

Strategies and Programs

• KIPP Academies--Charter middle schools in Houston, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Washington, D.C.
• Trey Whitfield School--Private elementary school in Brooklyn, New York