The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 has affected school functioning nationwide since it was enacted. This case study looks at the efforts of the district superintendent and principals of three elementary schools in the Mississippi Delta that share similarities in socio-demographic structure and geographic proximity yet differ in their Achievement Level Index (ALI). Semi-structured interviews were conducted to determine the administrators’ efforts to meet the Act’s requirements in terms of federal, state, and district funding; teacher recruitment and retention; provisions for teachers’ professional development; curriculum alignment and testing; enhancing students’ test-taking skills; and parental involvement in the educational process as possible contributors to the changes in the schools’ ALI from 2003-2007. Administrative efficacy emerged as a key factor in influencing the differential levels of changes in school achievement.
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