No Child Left Behind (NCLB) created a national curriculum that would be taught in every school in America. The No Child Left Behind Act plays a huge role in the education system. It touches on a wide variety of issues related to public education, including the dispersion of federal funds and parental choice in the case of failing schools and for people with learning disabilities. Before the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 became law, the United States Supreme Court on May 17, 1954 passed Brown v. Board of Education that outlawed racial segregation in public schools and ruled that the "separate but equal doctrine" was unconstitutional. The Brown case served as a guide to motivate education reform and create legal tools to combat segregation in all sectors of society. Since then, many states have begun to resegregate, and educational outcomes and opportunities have declined for minorities. (Brown v Board of Education Summary) In 1965, Congress passed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, once again emphasizing equal access to education and establishing high standards and accountability. The law authorizes federally funded and state-administered educational programs. In 2002, Congress amended the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and reauthorized it as the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. (Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)) No Child Left Behind is the recognition of 21 th century of this first major federal undertaking in educational policies, an area that still has a predominantly state and local function, as our Founding Fathers imagined it. On January 8, 2002, President George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act into law. The law provides greater accountability for states, school districts and schools; greater choice for parents and students, especially those attending low-performing schools; greater flexibility for states and local education agencies (LEAs) in using federal education dollars; and a greater emphasis on reading, especially for our youngest, low-income, and minority children. (EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ARCHIVED INFORMATION) Increased Accountability The NCLB law will strengthen Title I accountability by requiring states to implement statewide accountability systems that cover all public schools and students. These systems must be based on challenging state standards in reading and math, annual testing for all students in grades 3-8, and annual statewide progress goals that ensure all student groups reach proficiency by 12 years. Assessment results and state progress goals must be broken down by poverty, race, ethnicity, disability, and limited English proficiency to ensure no group is left behind.