With the passing of the fifth anniversary of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, the National School Boards Association and civil rights, disability advocacy and other organizations are pushing for an overhaul of the law. NJSBA supports the move.

NSBA signed onto a joint statement that urges lawmakers in Washington, D.C. to change NCLB’s emphasis “from applying sanctions for failing to raise test scores to holding states and localities accountable for making the systemic changes that improve student achievement.”

Focus on Pledge NCLB reform is a cornerstone of NSBA’s “Pledge to America’s School Children” campaign. It was the focus of the annual Federal Relations Network conference in Washington last week.

President Bush signed NCLB into law Jan. 8, 2002. Last month, he spoke with lawmakers in a private bipartisan meeting to push for the renewal of NCLB, but was noncommittal on their request for more money to help schools meet the law’s requirements.