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 for 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 the Brown v. Board of Education Act which banned racial segregation in public schools and determined that " separate but equal doctrine” was unconstitutional. The Brown case served as a guide to motivate education reform and provide the legal means to challenge segregation in all areas of society. Since then, many states have returned to segregation and educational outcomes and opportunities have declined for minorities. (Summary Brown v. Board of Education) In 1965, Congress passed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which again emphasized equal access to education and established high standards and responsibility. 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 side is the 21st century recognition of this first major federal undertaking in the field of primary and secondary education. Educational policy is an area that is still primarily a state and local function, as visualized by our founding fathers. On January 8, 2002, President George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act into law. This law provides for increased accountability for states, school districts and schools; greater choice for parents and students, primarily those attending low-performing schools; more 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. (OVERVIEW Executive SummaryARCHIVED INFORMATION) Increased Accountability The NCLB Act will strengthen Title I accountability by requiring states to implement statewide accountability systems covering all public schools and students. These systems must be based on demanding national standards in reading and mathematics, annual testing of all students in grades 3 through 8, and annual statewide progress goals ensuring that all groups of Students reach proficiency level within 12 years. Assessment results and state progress goals must be disaggregated by poverty, race, ethnicity, disability, and limited English proficiency to ensure no group is left behind..