Secondary education in the United States
In 1965 the far-reaching Elementary and Secondary Education Act ('ESEA'), passed as a part of President Lyndon B. Johnson's "War on Poverty", provided funds for primary and secondary education ('Title I funding') while explicitly forbidding the establishment of a national curriculum. It emphasized equal access to education and established high standards and accountability. The bill also aimed to shorten the achievement gaps between students by providing every child with fair and equal opportunities to achieve an exceptional education.
Geoffrey D. Borman
Borman's scholarship has contributed to understanding how federal education programs have reduced the persistent achievement gaps in American society. His 2001 book, "Title I: Compensatory Education at the Crossroads" (Borman, Stringfield, & Slavin, 2001), discussed the history, student achievement effects, and future of the federal government's largest investment in elementary and secondary education: Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (most recently reauthorized as the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002). His article "National Efforts to Bring Reform to Scale in High-Poverty Schools: Outcomes and Implications", traced the history and academic effects of America's investments in elementary and secondary education over the period 1965-2001 (Borman, 2005).