On January 8, 2002, President George Bush signed into law the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, which was a reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which was designed to help disadvantaged students achieve academic success (Editorial Projects in the Educational Research Center, 2011) The components of The No Child Left Behind included annual testing, academic progress, report cards, teacher qualifications, and funding changes. These measures were “designed to drive broad improvements in student achievement and to hold states and schools accountable for student progress” (Editorial Projects in the Education Research Center, 2011, para. 3). NCLB also promised to close the achievement gap and increase student learning (Hursh 2007). By the 2005-2006 year, states were required to annually test all students in grades 3-8, and these tests were required to be aligned with state standards. (Editorial projects of the Educational Research Center, 2011). Additionally, a representative sample of 4th and 8th graders were required to participate in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) testing program to be compared to other students nationwide (Editorial Projects in the Educational Research Center, 2011). For a school to achieve academic progress, some subgroups and the school as a whole must make adequate annual progress. If the school failed to obtain AYP, then the school could receive additional services and parents could send their children to another school. If the school continues to fail to make AYP, it could receive punitive sanctions from the government. Teachers were to be considered highly qualified in their subject and school report cards were to be issued each year to illustrate data on student achievement and the school... middle of paper... to provide them and help them to learn, students are capable of achieving academic progress. References Dee, B., & Jacob, T. S. (2011). The impact of leaving no child behind on student achievement. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 30(3), 418–446. Retrieved from http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/86808/20586_ftp.pdf?sequence=Editorial Projects in Education Research Center. (2011, September 19). Problems A to Z: No child left behind. Education Week. Retrieved from http://www.edweek.org/ew/issues/no-child-left-behind/Hursh, D. (September 2007). Worsening Inequality: The Failed Promise of the “No Child Left Behind” Act. Race, ethnicity, and education.10 (3), 295-308. Retrieved from http://www.wou.edu/~girodm/foundations/Hursh.pdfTatum, A. (2006) Engaging African-American Males in Reading. Educational leadership, 63(5),44-49.