As states have sought waivers from the 100 percent proficiency
requirement of No Child Left Behind, new performance targets
were put in place that led to differing expectations for
children depending on their race. NBC's Rehema Ellis reports. By
Michele McNeil and Alyson Klein, Education Week 1. What is the
No Child Left Behind Act, and why do some states have waivers
from it? The No Child Left Behind Act, a federal school-
accountability law passed by Congress in 2001, called for all
students to be proficient in reading and math by the end of the
2013-14 school year. Schools are required to report on the
progress of all students, but they must also break out certain
groups of students, including racial minorities, English-
language learners, and students in special education. The law is
several years overdue for a rewrite, and Congress continues to
struggle to pass a new school accountability law. In the
meantime, more and more schools appear unlikely to meet that 100
percent proficiency target. The U.S. Depar