Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), son of GOP presidential candidate Ron
Paul, is moving to combat the ninth reauthorization of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), currently
known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Enacted as part of
President Lyndon B. Johnson’s "War on Poverty," ESEA was a
springboard for the federal government’s unbounded authority and
expanding reach in American education. The act was originally
chartered through 1970, but the government has reauthorized ESEA
every five years since its passing. NCLB has been tormented with
problems and heavily condemned by educators and lawmakers, most
visibly through controversial provisions such as Adequate Yearly
Progress (AYP) — an academic measurement for schools and school
districts based on standardized tests — and the requirement for
all children to be proficient in math and reading by 2014. These
provisions have led to serious unintended repercussions, one
being the loss of transparency to parents and taxpayers about
students’ real acade