The Washington D.C.-based Urban Institute’s National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER) and NCPI held a research conference entitled NCLB: Emerging Findings on August 12, 2009. More than 20 policy analysts and leading experts in the field of education policy research convened at this conference to discuss the No Child Left Behind Act.

More than 20 policy analysts and leading experts in the field of education policy research convened at this conference to discuss the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Now seven years old, NCLB requires states to track K-12 student performance and to meet benchmarks for improving the lowest-scoring students with the goal of narrowing and eventually eliminating the achievement gap. Whether or not it has been effective thus far and its strengths and weaknesses were the focus of discussion and debate. Among the specific issues discussed were state implementation of NCLB and its impact on student achievement, teacher distribution and quality, the teaching of subjects not covered by NCLB, and accountability and testing. The conference was attended by nearly 170 policymakers, scholars, school administrators, and members of the press. Congress is set to address the reauthorization of NCLB next year.

To learn more about this conference, please click here.

More information on CALDER can be found here.