Attending a new charter school, Jann Peña has had to get used to wearing a uniform daily and being in class an hour and a half later each afternoon. Here, he watches classmates during a group project. Julienne Schaer/The Hechinger Report hide caption

In 2008, President George W. Bush addressed his No Child Left Behind act. Congress now appears ready to overhaul the law, which is the nation's most important federal education act. J. Scott Applewhite/AP hide caption

Taylor Delhagen is one of the founding teachers at Brooklyn Ascend High School. Julienne Schaer/The Hechinger Report hide caption

Melissa Jarvis-Cedeño, principal at Ascend Charter High School, teaches a civic reflections seminar three times a week. Julienne Schaer/The Hechinger Report hide caption

Once all but unattainable, a six-figure salary is a reality for a growing number of teachers. Ryan Schuette/NPR hide caption

Attorney General Loretta Lynch, accompanied by Education Secretary Arne Duncan, announces the $95.5 million settlement with Education Management Corp. Andrew Harnik/AP hide caption

Adam Livneh speaks to a classmate in his sixth-grade Spanish class. All of the students use the language learning app Duolingo on their laptops. Since students enter the school with varying language abilities, they are able to start the program at a level tailored to them. Roxanne Turpen for NPR hide caption