Overview of the Federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 Impact on California Education Policies

With the 2003 legislative session fast approaching and a $21 billion budget shortfall, public education in California finds itself at a critical crossroad. For the past decade, California has taken some basic but important steps to improve its public schools. The state has adopted standards reputed to be the best in the nation. It has a plan for a testing program fully aligned to standards. It has taken unparalleled steps to reduce class size and improve its teaching force and has made massive investments in the K-12 school budgets. Despite the progress, the job is not complete and California must remain on course to restoring excellence to its schools.

One of the key issues facing the state at this time is the implementation of and compliance with the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). The Act, which was signed into law by President Bush in January, redefines the federal role in K-12 education and is built upon the foundation and basic framework of standards, assessment and accountability. Hailed by many as the most meaningful education reform in decades, NCLB focuses on bringing a variety of changes to schools across the nation and represents billions of dollars in federal education funds. In the first year alone California could receive nearly $5 billion in federal funding.

To qualify for funding under NCLB, the state must meet certain regulatory requirements and guidelines. Based on preliminary reviews of California education policies, the state is well ahead of the pack, having many of the requirements already in place. The state has already benefited from several programs under NCLB, including receiving nearly $133 million in August for the federal Reading First program, a national initiative aimed at improving reading in kindergarten through third grade, and being awarded a portion of the $23 million in federal grants to help school districts and the state establish or expand public school choice programs.

....federal education funding will be tied directly to academic achievement and will ensure that schools are using taxpayer funds on programs that work. These new education reforms make the best use of every tax dollar spent on education by funding programs that follow good research, and by insisting on accountability and results. In that way, taxpayers know what they're getting for their money, and parents know if their children are learning.

California is also set to benefit from the more than $28 million in 2002-03 to help develop and implement a statewide student data system of assessments. During the 2002 legislative session, the California Business Roundtable and California Business for Education Excellence (CBEE) co-sponsored SB 1453 (Alpert), which will establish a comprehensive statewide data system, including unique student identifiers to obtain the individual student-level data required by NCLB.

In order to fully comply with federal law the state will still need to adjust some of its current programs and policies in the coming months. One of the key issues at this time is California’s definition of a “highly qualified” teacher. NCLB provides significant support, nearly $3 billion this year alone, for states to beef up teacher recruitment, training, and quality efforts. However, California’s initial draft definition of a “highly qualified” teacher differs from the federal law's minimum requirements and the state risks losing a portion of its Title I funds. The issue has been the source of much debate and California’s State Board of Education is currently revising its definition to bring it in line with federal law.

Also being debated is the state’s definition of Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). While NCLB requires all states to develop a statewide index to monitor school performance, California already has a system in place – the Academic Performance Index (API). The issue at stake is that California’s system has slightly different goals than those contained in NCLB. The State Board of Education is currently working with the U.S. Department of Education to bring the state’s definition of AYP into line with the expectations of NCLB.

Under NCLB, and for the first time in history, federal education funding will be tied directly to academic achievement and will ensure that schools are using taxpayer funds on programs that work. These new education reforms make the best use of every tax dollar spent on education by funding programs that follow good research, and by insisting on accountability and results. In that way, taxpayers know what they're getting for their money, and parents know if their children are learning.

Given that a well-prepared workforce is the foundation of California’s economic health, education must remain a top priority. The progress we make in the coming year toward implementing the federal law will be vitally important in determining how effective it will be. While the implementation of NCLB provides the opportunity to significantly improve the course of education reform in California, we need to ensure it complements and builds upon the work that California already has accomplished.

Summary of NCLB on California

Benefits an estimated 6 million California public school children, 8,566 California public schools, and 299,897 California teachers.
Increases federal education funding for California to more than $5.4 billion to help local schools ensure that no child is left behind - nearly $836 million more than last year, and a 41.4 percent increase over 2000 levels.
Increases Title I funding to more than $1.7 billion to boost the quality of education for disadvantaged children of California - more than $410 million more than last year, and a 55.8 percent increase over 2000 levels.
Provides more than $132.9 million in funding for Reading First to ensure that every public school child in California learns to read at or above grade level by the third grade.
Requires every classroom in California to have a highly-qualified teacher and provides more than $333.5 million to train and retain skilled educators.
Provides an estimated $61.2 million to help ensure safe and drug-free schools in California.
Provides an estimated $41.4 million to fund after-school programs for at-risk children in California.
Provides more than $28.9 million in funding to help California school districts assess how well children are learning and schools are teaching.
Increases Pell Grant funding to an estimated $1.2 billion - $86 million more than last year, and a 24.3 percent increase over 2000 levels - to ensure greater access to a college education for deserving California students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

U.S. Department of Education