The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was enacted in 1965 as part of the Johnson Administration War on Poverty campaign. This major federal law authorized federal spending on programs to support K-12 schooling. ESEA is the largest source of federal spending on elementary and secondary education. Since the initial in 1965, ESEA has been reauthorized seven times, but only the last four (4) will be mentioned. In 1994 the Improving America’s School Act was reauthorized under the Clinton Administration. This reauthorization puts into place key standards and accountability elements for local and state schools to receive funding under the law, and Goals 2000 a special interest group. In January 2002 another reauthorization came into play with the No Child Left Behind Act under the Bush Administration. This came in the form of testing and accountability. This required that states test students annually in reading, mathematics, and science. Also each individual school, and school district must publically report the test results. The aggregate results must be specific to student’s subgroups, including low-income students, students with disabilities, English language learners, and major racial and ethnic groups. The NCLB also required states, school districts and all schools ensure that all students are proficient in grade level math and reading by 2014
During the Obama Administration the President called on Congress to work across the aisle and fix the problem that the NCLB Act created. Senior fellow, of the J. McDonald Williams Institute defined achievement gaps as examining differences in racial and socioeconomic factors affecting student achievement in U.S. schools. An overview of the suggestions for reform efforts of educators is offered. The author suggests that educators must work together to develop measures to eradicate achievement gaps (Allen, 2008).