Article 1: Efforts Toward Educational Reform in the United States Since 1958: A Review of Seven Major Initiatives

This exploratory historical paper summarizes the key provisions of seven important initiatives or actions—legislative and otherwise—of the federal government spanning the past fifty years: National Defense Education Act (NDEA) of 1958, Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965, The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), A Nation at Risk, America 2000, Goals 2000, and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 2001 otherwise known as “No Child Left Behind.” In addition, information will be provided that underscores the genesis of the U.S. Department of Education in the late 1970s. The intent here is to offer a summary of the previously stated initiatives.