"…Many of the criticisms levied against No Child Left Behind are unfair and untrue. It is not massive federal intrusion. States devise their own standards, craft their own curriculum, set their own goals, write their own tests and concoct their own definitions of progress…."

"Until it came along, some of the most significant problems in public education… were resolutely ignored by our schools and our state Department of Education.

"No Child Left Behind forced us to pay attention to a profound and troubling inequity in public education - the fact that many schools are not doing justice to minority and poor children…."

"Until No Child Left Behind mandated that achievement data for various groups be made public, school boards and the state of Virginia generally ignored this issue, perpetuating a problem with far-reaching and costly consequences.

"No Child Left Behind forced us to pay attention to the dropout rate…."

"The argument that No Child Left Behind imposes unfunded mandates is largely a smokescreen. Many of the things that are required to improve education don't cost a lot of money…."

"No Child Left Behind has made educators, school boards, legislators and communities think about education differently…."