Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act Background The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), last reauthorized on January 8, 2002 as the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, is the major federal law supporting K–12 public education in America. Originally enacted in 1965, the law established federal policy and authorized federal funding to assist states and local school districts to improve the academic performance of all students enrolled in public schools regardless o