As President Obama calls for future change, reforms of the past are also feeling the pressure. One particular issue, the No Child Left Behind Act, has been a long-debated subject within the educational sphere. The National Education Association has even drafted eight principles for the reauthorization of the program. The American Federation of Teachers, too, has identified areas in need of work and possible solutions to the system. Aside from reforms specifically regarding NCLB, however, the act has also prompted other discussions regarding standardized testing data and group inequalities. (http://www.letsgetitright.org/) and (http://www.nea.org/home/1335.htm)

For instance, US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has called for reform in the school achievement data collection process. These reforms include the implementation of data systems that can aid education policy development and track the success of students throughout their careers. Ideally, these efforts would allow reforms to be monitored for efficiency and effectiveness. (http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2009/06/06082009.html)

Reforms are also being developed to produce a common framework across the nation. This endeavor, led by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers, intends to characterize a common level of educational content that will define American standards. As Maria Glod of the Washington Post puts it, the effort is “an unprecedented step toward a uniform definition of success in American schools.” (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/31/AR2009053102339.html)

On a more local level, however, administrators have also been attempting to eliminate socioeconomic boundaries within the classroom. Cloonan Middle School, in Stamford, Connecticut, which used to separate students based on performance, recently decided to mix low-achieving and high-achieving students. Although fewer behavior problems have been recorded and low-achieving students have been improving, high-achieving students still lack competition in such an environment.

While these reforms reflect experiments and trials, the effort to reduce these problems is being made. Educational associations can act as crucial aids in the development of such programs, through research, proposals, and experience in the field of education.