Equity Meets Accountability: The Implementation of No Child Left Behind in New Jersey.

This paper examines New Jersey's experiences with implementing No Child Left Behind to better illuminate the impact that the law is having on education reform in the state. The implementation of NCLB has been decidedly mixed as the state has struggled to comply with the law while preserving its robust tradition of local control of schools. The NJDOE initially failed to provide clear and timely AYP determinations or adequate guidance and supervision regarding NCLB's sanctions and remedies for underperforming schools. The unusually small size of districts in NJ has combined with the lack of an inter-district choice law and a difficult charter conversion process to make school choice virtually non-existent in the state. Districts and schools have used their considerable discretion over the SES process to constrain the entrance and expansion of private SES providers and the utilization of these services by students. The NJDOE has provided unprecedented guidance to failing schools and districts but whether or not the CAPA process will generate substantial and lasting student achievement gains remains to be seen. Thanks to NCLB, equity has now been joined with accountability in New Jersey, but it appears that the state must increase its oversight further to ensure that schools are effectively deploying their resources to enhance student achievement and educational opportunity. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]