What does the No Child Left Behind Act aim to achieve?

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), enacted in 2001, primarily aims to ensure that all students, regardless of their backgrounds, have equal opportunities to succeed in education. This legislation emphasizes accountability and the importance of standardized testing to measure student progress, with particular focus on closing achievement gaps among disadvantaged groups. By setting high standards and providing measurable goals, NCLB seeks to hold schools accountable for the educational performance of all students, thus working towards equitable educational access and success.

While the other options touch on aspects of education, they do not encapsulate the primary goal of NCLB. For instance, increasing funding for private education does not align with the act's focus on public education systems and ensuring that all children in public schools thrive under equitable standards. Standardizing curriculum across states is also not a direct objective of NCLB, as states still maintain the flexibility to design their curricula within the framework of federal guidelines. Lastly, while promoting higher graduation rates is a component of educational improvement, NCLB's core objective is broader, aiming for overall equal access to quality education rather than focusing exclusively on graduation rates.