All across the United States there has been a push to get our students to do better in their studies. The federal government has also sought to implement sweeping new changes to push states and schools to raise all students to a higher level of proficiency. The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 was passed to update the previous law, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. NCLB was the first government-mandated overhaul in more than thirty years. With the passage of the NLCB and subsequent federal mandates, teachers were given priority to have state academic standards and academic achievement test scores meet minimum standards. The passage and implementation of NCLB was expected to include accountability systems that would help determine the teaching effectiveness of those in classrooms. My primary concern is that all students receive a quality education. While there have been teaching styles that I have found to be less compatible with my personal learning style, I would not call that teacher a bad educator. I'm all for tying teachers' abilities to their students' evaluation scores, but characterizing a teacher as good or bad based on those scores alone is not how we should progress. There are many different factors that will define how well a student learns. Much of this is up to their teachers, but a student's learning is closely tied to whether the student also receives the appropriate support from home. Students, as well as their parents, must be held accountable for their education. In order for students to own their education, the student must be pushed to excel at home. A child's education cannot begin and end with the ringing of the school bell. The most current method of measuring a t...... middle of paper ......10001424052970204485304576641123767006518.html>.Gormley, Michael. "Cuomo: NY Union Agrees on Teacher Evaluation Plan." The Observer's Dispatch. GateHouse Media, Inc., February 16, 2012. Web. February 18, 2012. .Leonhardt, David. “When does teacher accountability go too far?” The New York Times - Magazine. Arthur Sulzberger Jr., September 1, 2010. Web. February 17, 2012. No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, pub. LN 107-107-110, 20 USC 6301 (2002). Print.Rothstein, Jesse. “More harm than good.” Editorial. The New York Times - The opinion pages. January 13, 2012. Web. February 19. 2012. .