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While not nearly as widely discussed as the war in Iraq or the well debated Patriot Act, No Child Left Behind (NCLB), the education reform legislation signed by President George W. Bush in 2001 is no less controversial. And with contradictory data on the results of the highly contested program it is difficult for parents to assess how this legislation may be impacting their school age children, for better or worse.

The basic premise of NCLB is that schools are to be held accountable for providing a quality education to all public school students. The goal is for 100% of students to perform at grade level in reading and math within specified time frames. Schools districts that fail to meet these goals are faced with specific consequences such as paying to transport students from a failing school to a higher performing one if the parent requests a transfer or in providing tutoring to assist children in attaining grade level in reading or math.

In theory NCLB sounds like a long overdue solution to the problem of wide variations in the quality of public education around the country. Proponents of the program shower NCLB with high praise, indicating that it will ensure equality in education for all but especially for children of color, low income students, immigrant children for whom English is a second language and the disabled. However, as we examine the specifics of NCLB in greater detail inherent problems with these assertions begin to be revealed almost immediately.

One of the chief concerns of critics is the fact that NCLB is a system of "unfunded mandates." School districts must adhere to a stringent set of guidelines and face serious consequences if the desired results are not achieved. However, little or no federal funding has been made available to assist school districts serving lower income families. Critics would argue that it is this very lack of funds that has contributed to the school's inability to provide a quality education to students in the first place. Crumbling buildings, lack of equipment and supplies and the inability to pay the higher salaries that would attract the most talented and experienced teachers are almost certainly contributing factors in schools that are "failing". Simply telling administrators in struggling districts that they must "do better" and then punishing them by withdrawing federal funds and burdening them with the extra expenses associated with paying for outside tutoring or transportation of their students to other schools

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