The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act created myriad opportunities for education entrepreneurs, particularly those creating new public schools or helping to turn around low-performing schools. However, while some of the act’s provisions encourage innovation by entrepreneurs, other aspects of the law’s current structure may stymie these efforts.

In advance of the law’s scheduled reauthorization in 2007, NewSchools Venture Fund convened a “town hall meeting” this spring during its annual Summit – a gathering of entrepreneurs and other forward-thinking leaders in education reform – in order to gather input on how NCLB could better support the creation of new high-performing schools and school systems.

This brief summarizes the recommendations offered during this session; it may be useful for federal policymakers to consider as they determine how to shape the NCLB Act so that it meets its goal of ensuring that all public school students receive a high-quality education.