When Congress passed No Child Left Behind in 2002, few could have envisioned the unintended consequences that the act would create in school districts across the nation. Now, six years later, Congress is positioned to re-authorize NCLB. Despite some of the Acts unexpected problems (and unfunded mandates), reauthorization is the right step, since NCLB has increased accountability and spurred many districts to refocus on strategic ways to improve academic performance and achievement. During the reauthorization process, however, Congress must take a closer look at NCLB and implement the absolutely necessary improvements that would make the legislation more effective and equitable, for all of Americas school children.
Despite the partisanship that surrounded NCLB during its implementation in 2002, the core objective of the law was to reach a common goal: to chart a pathway toward increased academic performance nationwide. Admittedly, from the onset, NCLB, focused much too heavily on punitive measures; federal funding for mandates was leveraged on academic results and districts with socio-economic disadvantages encounter continuing challenges in meeting adequate yearly progress (AYP) benchmarks, which in turn, impact their eligibility to get further federal dollars for core educational programs.
There has been an upside. In the past six years that districts painstakingly met the requirements set out by NCLB, educators, school board members and administrators have had the opportunity to be able to review, track and assess the laws effects; they have been able to identify precisely where the shortfalls to NCLB are located. Equipped with this knowledge, educational advocates across the nation have now been able to provide legislators with strategic amendments and changes that can significantly improve the law.
Accordingly, one promising patch to NCLB that has emerged is House Bill 648, a Bill that has been sponsored by a 21-member bipartisan coalition (disappointingly, this Bill does not yet include any co-sponsors from Washington state). HB 648, which has been endorsed by the National School Board Association and educational advocates across the country, would maintain the accountability aspects of NCLB, while correcting the emerging inequities that have been seen to unfairly impact less affluent or minority districts, special education and English language learners and even gifted or highly-capable students.
While H.B. 648 can begin to address the deficiencies of NCLB, the Act itself still needs to be reauthorized first and as a priority step, that must occur as soon as possible during this Congressional session.
If NCLB is not reauthorized in 2008, there is a distinct likelihood that the existing provisions of the law would be Congressionally extended until the next session. In this scenario, it is very likely that a new administration entering the White House in November would find other priorities before beginning debate anew to reauthorize NCLB.
Failure to reauthorize NCLB this Congressional session will likely mean that many of our schools particularly those in minority and economically depressed areas will be forced to continue operating under the current provisions of the law. Accordingly, in light of the punitive nature of the measure, the number of schools under sanction will only continue to increase, drawing further funding setbacks to those districts.
The ultimate reality is that NCLBs ultimate objectives can only be achieved when and if the practical barriers to the Acts success are comprehensively addressed.
Educational reform, as with any other Congressional effort, should inherently be seen as a dynamic process. Thoughtful Congressional amendments, like H.R. 648, should be considered as flexible tools, useful for correcting the course of legislation as inequities in these existing laws emerge during the course of their implementation.
Reauthorization of NCLB, during the second session of the 110th Congress, with the appropriate, corrective amendments, is more than just a sensible idea it is an essential necessity if our goal is to equitably increase academic achievement in all of our nations schools.

Editors Note: Michael Kundu, a father of two middle school students, is a Board member of the Marysville School District Board of Directors. He is also an appointed member of the National School Board Associations Federal Relations Network.