Essential of the No Child Left Behind Act

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 was a groundbreaking piece of legislation signed by George W. Bush that officially marked a United States Act of Congress to preside over the American education system. The No Child Left Behind Act supports the universal standards-based education reform, which was created on the belief that setting high standards and establishing goals can directly improve a school system and an individual's academic endeavor.

The No Child Left Behind Act requires individual states to develop evaluations or assessments in the underlying school's basic framework. This system gives all students certain grades, which are aligned with other schools in the state to observe the effectiveness of the particular school's curriculum. These grades are then reviewed by Congress who will decide which localities are in line for Federal funding. In essence, the legislation created an evaluation system to streamline Federal funding and enable Congress to view which methods of educational reform work best.

The No Child Left Behind Act does not assert these standards on a national level and instead relies on the states to create their own unique platforms. Since the enactment of this Act, Congress has increased Federal funding for education from $42.2 billion (2001 level) to over $60 billion in 2009.