http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2007/02/education_scorecard.html

The No Child Left Behind Act—the latest reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965—passed in 2001 with bipartisan agreement over two things: the need for the education reforms laid out in law, and the need for adequate resources to support the major reforms that it was asking states and districts to undertake.

The first goal was met, but seven years later, the second still has not. Congress passed President Bush's law, but the president has not kept up his side of the bargain, and the lack of funding for implementation has severely hampered the law's popularity and efficacy. Because the presidential election is in full swing, some analysts and commentators are now expressing skepticism about whether the law will be reauthorized this year.

Important changes are surely needed to make the No Child Left Behind more effective, but the law has led to progress in improving achievement for all students, particularly low-income and minority children. Rather than scrapping the law entirely, President Bush and lawmakers should step up this year and commit to making it more effective.