The United States is on a continual quest to improve and revamp its weakening education system. The most recent approach is the "No Child Left Behind Act," established in 2001. Enacted during President George W. Bush’s first term, it is considered to be one of his most influential laws passed. The law is still in effect today, and it has created a generation of students that are accustomed to learning and testing in a consistent way throughout the country. This testing culture is one of standardized tests and not much straying from it and is referred to by many as “teaching to the test.” The major consensus among school staff and parents is that the law as a whole is a failure and it was. The law failed due to the restrictions instituted on schools causing circumstances that do not allow them to fully live up to the potentials to educate their students. The centerpiece of any classroom is the teacher and the "No Child Left Behind Act" originally intended to produce better-qualified teachers that uphold higher standards set upon them; however, that is not what happened. The law has connected teachers’ paychecks to the performance of their students. The better the class performs, the better compensated the teacher is, which has in turn causes problems in the classroom with dishonest teachers (Trolian 5). The law did not intend for teachers to cheat for the students. Due to the fact that many people are motivated by money, they will do just about anything to secure their income. Tenure also affects how a teacher acts in the classroom because a teacher with tenure is guaranteed a job and is less likely to actually care enough to motivate students (Kline). The "No Child Left Behind Act" has standards that are suggested to schools to help in the teacher hiring process, but they are not mandatory. Richard Simpson cites a researcher that delves into teacher certification vs student achievement and the researcher concluded that “traditional teacher education programs were clearly superior to alternative certification” (70). The No Child Left Behind has not achieved what it intended but instead created greater problems in ter