This Sunday, January 8^th, will mark the ten year anniversary of President George W. Bush signing the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) into law. Over the past decade we have learned a lot about the importance of collecting data, being accountable for the success of all students, and setting targets. We have also seen multiple attempts to reauthorize the law only to watch them die before reaching the President’s desk. This anniversary serves as a reminder that critical information has been gathered as a result of this law being passed, but we also need to take what we have learned and improve it through reauthorization.

Like it or hate it, the law has been a game-changer. It’s opened the public’s eyes about the hard work that needs to be done to address underperforming school systems that are jeopardizing the future success of countless students. It wasn’t until NCLB that the U.S. was forced to face the reality that not all students within a “good” school were actually doing well. For decades prior to NCLB, our educational system operated in the dark. Not anymore. That’s the good news.

The bad news is that what we know is far from encouraging. While significant progress has been made, there is still an unacceptable achievement gap between minority and white students. For a nation as prosperous and strong as America, it’s a disgrace that only 75 percent of students, and only half of all minority students, graduate from high school on time. What’s even more shocking is the ongoing and persistent complaining by some adults in the system that it’s simply unrealistic to expect kids to read and cipher on grade level! This is a modest standard that many of these same people argue now needs to be raised higher.

Teaching our young students the basics is the bare minimum we should be providing to put them on the path to being successful, productive citizens. I have yet to meet a parent who says that it is acceptable for his or her child not to be on grade level.  Most will tell you that they don’t want to wait the twelve years that the law gave schools to get all kids on grade level. As well, I have yet to meet a CEO who is looking to hire graduates without the necessary skills or knowledge to be successful on the job. It’s ludicrous for Americans to think that continuing down a path of low expectations is going to net the kind of gains we need to stay competitive.

The question is whether policymakers will continue to side with parents and employers who believe the school systems they finance through their hard-earned tax dollars have an obligation to educate their children, or cave in to the teachers’ unions and other powerful special interests who are willing to write off some of the nation’s neediest children, believing they are simply too hard to educate. If it’s the latter, America will be the loser.

The time has come for policymakers to face the music. We need to pick up the pace of improvement in our schools. Instead of the current "pass/fail" approach in the law today, states should be allowed to use a grading system based on solid data to identify which schools need a major overhaul—something most were not in a position to do when the law was written—and which schools need just minor improvement. The law should also identify and reward our most effective teachers who are doing the hard work every day to raise student achievement and close the stubborn achievement gap.  And the law should move us into the 21^st century by promoting innovative options for parents, including online learning, charter schools, and other public and private choice options that allow students to get the immediate help they need to succeed.

Finally, though in the last decade NCLB has become a popular political punching bag, we must also recognize the students that have finally been counted. African American children, Hispanic children, low-income children, students with special needs, and those whose first language is not English are no longer able to be hidden in the averages. We are able to see just how poorly they were being served in low-performing schools, as well as schools that were often viewed as high-performing.  As we reflect on the significant strides that have been made and the focus on low-income and minority students required under NCLB, some would suggest that we go back to the time when we ignored the needs of a vast number of students across the country.

The business community has joined with the civil rights, disability, and education reform communities in opposition to a retreat from accountability and an abandonment of our national commitment to the success of every child.  So much more has yet to be done. As my friend and colleague Tom Donohue said, “To those who seek to undermine, delay, or obstruct reform, I say your time is over. You are on the wrong side of history. The status quo cannot be defended—it is indefensible. Parents, businesses, and more and more teachers reach that conclusion every single day. So it's time to get real, get serious, and get busy." I couldn’t agree more.