In 1991 the world witnessed a political change of great magnitude. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) crumbled, ushering in a new era of democracy and the official end of the Cold War.

History Behind the Headlines (HBH), a new, ongoing series from the Gale Group strives to answer these and many other questions in a way that television broadcasts and newspapers cannot.

This book explores how high-stakes tests mandated by No Child Left Behind have become de facto language policy in U.S. schools, detailing how testing has shaped curriculum and instruction, and the myriad ways that tests are now a defining force in the daily lives of English Language Learners and the educators who serve them.

The house of cards: The faces behind forclosures (The Well / Cover Story)
One false step, one fierce wind, and a lifetime of work and hope can all come crashing down. The faces behind the foreclosures

In June 2004, millions of parents and teachers across the United States will receive report cards in the mail alerting them that their local schools have "failed". For many Americans, this will be the first introduction to President Bush's controversial No Child Left Behind legislation, which calls for expanded student testing, more stringent accountability requirements, and annual school-focused report cards at the state, district, and school levels. The legislation ties substantial federal funds for disadvantaged students--which many schools have already been receiving for almost four decades--to performance requirements dictated by the new legislation.