Anne T. Henderson, ParentLeadership Associates
2002
An Action Guide for Community and Parent Leaders: Using NCLB to Improve Student Achievement
Public Education Network, 2002
When No Child Left Behind Act became law in January of 2002, there was great hope that Washington's heightened role in education would lead to a better day for America's children. There was also plenty of confusion as to what the law actually meant. These two reports, the first written for parents, the second for community leaders, should help answer questions about the law. Anne Henderson's summary of NCLB is written to help parents, particularly parents from low-income communities, use the law to leverage improvement in failing schools. The Public Education Network summary is also a useful resource for parents and groups that serve them. It identifies the specific rights, roles, and responsibilities that parents and community leaders can take advantage of to send "a no-nonsense message that unequal educational opportunities will no longer be tolerated in their public schools." The report explains the major elements of NCLB; provides general information on the scope and requirements of each major area of community and parental engagement; and makes the statutory language comprehensible to laypeople. It also has a welcome glossary of terms and index of resources. For Henderson's report for parents go to http://www.plassociates.org/publications.pdf. For the PEN guide, go to http://www.publiceducation.org/pdf/nclbbook.pdf.
