No Child Left Behind
Well, except for the poor black ones. At least, that's the way it goes in Weldon, NC, according to a Washington Post story by Michael Dobbs:

Nelson Edwards is unhappy with the education his daughters are receiving at Weldon Middle School, which has failed to meet federal standards. But help should be on the way: The No Child Left Behind law gives the Winn-Dixie meat cutter the option of transferring his children to a better-performing school.

At least, that is the theory of one part of the most sweeping educational reforms adopted by Congress in more than a generation. The practice, from the perspective of a poor, overwhelmingly African American school district in North Carolina, is rather different.

A few months ago, Weldon school officials attempted to negotiate a school-choice agreement with their counterparts in Roanoke Rapids, a predominantly white, middle-class school district on the other side of Interstate 95. They were turned down flat.

Weldon's request would "create an administrative nightmare," said Roanoke Rapids school Superintendent John Parker, who employs two investigators to ensure that children living in Weldon and surrounding Halifax County do not try to sneak into his schools. "There is no way we could accommodate all the students who want to come here, if we opened our doors."

An administrative nightmare? Silly me, I thought that was precisely what "No Child Left Behind" was supposed to prevent: Give kids -- all kids -- access to adequate education -- and they might contribute something to society -- instead of contributing to the pile of papers on social services employees' desks.