NCLB established new requirements for states to set educational
standards, test students annually on core subjects, and to
implement reforms in public schools that fail to demonstrate
adequate progress on state tests. The combination of testing and
reform interventions was intended to provide better learning
opportunities for students in danger of falling behind in After
seven years, evidence suggests that No Child Left Behind, like
previous federal interventions, has failed to yield meaningful
improvements in students' learning. NCLB has also highlighted
the limits and unintended consequences of federal intervention.
As the 111th Congress considers the reauthorization of NCLB,
federal policymakers should review this experience and examine
other strategies for improving opportunities for disadvantaged
students and ethnic-minority children. One approach is to give
states and local policymakers greater authority to direct public
education in their jurisdictions. Florida's experience with
implementing aggressive