Lessons in Leveraging Implementation: Rulemaking, Growth Models, and Policy Dynamics Under NCLB

Through a case study that highlights the role of rulemaking in the evolution of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), this article provides strategies for educators who seek both to influence policy outcomes and to understand the dynamics of policymaking. This study examines the regulatory processes for NCLB, specifically related to the adoption of growth models, at both the federal and state levels, augmenting the slim body of literature on rulemaking in educational policy. It focuses on rulemaking processes as they define and redirect the substance of policy, create ongoing opportunities for stakeholder participation, and influence, and tailor policies to the state and local settings in which delivery occurs. This article describes policy as cumulative, increasingly complex and multileveled. It recommends that stakeholders monitor and target federal and state rulemaking venues so as to influence and adapt legislative mandates to the specific contexts and demands of practice.