The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is the latest in more than two decades of federal efforts to raise educational standards and an even longer stream of initiatives to improve education for poor children.

"Some of the best analyses of issues related to NCLB yet attempted. The chapters represent evidence of a robust education research community willing and able to treat complex issues with scientific rigor and dispassion." --Michael J. Feuer, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education, The National Academies "This volume should be required reading for everyone concerned about the impact of NCLB on student academic outcomes. The chapters provide important conceptual and empirical analyses that policymakers need to consider seriously when planning for the reauthorization of NCLB." --Maureen T. Hallinan, University of Notre Dame "Gamoran and a group of first-rate scholars address hard questions about whether and how standard-based reforms can reduce the achievement gap. They use cold eyes and hard data. All the answers are not in, but the analyses presented in this volume sharpen the debate and make you think about what is possible and what is not." --Jane Hannaway, Education Policy Center, Urban Institute