EXITING AS HE ENTERED: President Bush Uses Last Policy Speech as President to Observe NCLB’s Seventh Anniversary and Encourage Congress to Reauthorize the Law Article

On January 23, 2001, three days after his inauguration, George W. Bush delivered his first policy speech as president of the United States and outlined the ideas and principals behind what would become the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).

THE “MUST HAVE” SKILLS: Education Sector Report Makes Case for Incorporating Modern Skills Into Assessments Article

The primarily multiple-choice tests used to assess reading and math ability, though useful for meeting proficiency targets for the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), generally are not helpful in determining a student’s college- and work-readiness.

SOMETHING IN COMMON: Under New Regulations, States Must Adopt Uniform Calculation for High School Graduation Rates by 2010 Article

In order to bring more coherence to the way states calculate what percentage of students graduate from high school, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced on October 28 that states must use a uniform calculation for determining every high school’s graduation rate.

From No Child Left Behind to Every Child a Graduate Report/Fact Sheet

Every Student Counts: The Case for Graduation Rate Accountability Report/Fact Sheet

If the nation is to truly meet the goal of every child a graduate, we must hold schools responsible for graduating every student with a regular diploma, particularly poor and minority students.

In Need of Improvement: NCLB and High Schools Report/Fact Sheet

When the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) was drafted and signed into law, little attention was paid to the unique challenges that exist in the nation’s high schools and what is best known about how to improve them.

Urgent but Overlooked: The Literacy Crisis Among Adolescent English Language Learners Report/Fact Sheet

America’s secondary schools enroll roughly two million English language learners (ELLs), students whose proficiency in spoken and/or written English is not yet strong enough to permit them to succeed in an English-language classroom setting without extra support.

Why the Crisis in Adolescent Literacy Demands a National Response Report/Fact Sheet

Over the past four decades, Congress has directed substantial resources toward improving young children’s literacy skills, and that investment has grown significantly in recent years.

STATE FUNDING GAPS: New Education Trust Report Finds Large Funding Gaps Between High- and Low-Poverty School Districts Article

According to a new report by the Education Trust, large funding gaps continue to exist between high-income and low-income and minority districts in many states.

READY FOR TOMORROW: National Governors Association Calls for a Focus on High Schools to Help All Students Achieve Secondary and Postsecondary Success Article

A new report by the National Governors Association (NGA) says the nation's high schools, second-chance institutions, and public colleges and universities are leaving too many young people unprepared to fully contribute to society.