This edited book provides a comprehensive approach to evaluating No Child Left Behind and identifying how the law can be improved. With contributions from experts, including Gary Orfield, Linda Darling-Hammond, Catherine Snow, and Daniel Koretz, among others, this text considers the efficacy of NCLB test-based accountability. These essays critically examine:
- What we know and don't know about the key mechanisms used to hold schools accountable
- Whether states have the capacity to implement all of the requirements called for in the law
- Whether states have the ability to provide the support and technical assistance necessary to help low-performing schools and districts
- The implications of the law for sustaining successful school reform
Holding NCLB Accountable covers four themes. The three themes of accountability, capacity, and school reform provide the framework for the book's chapters. The fourth theme - achieving equity and the implications of the law for low-income and minority students - is addressed throughout the book.