It was probably inevitable that a program with an idealistic name like No Child Left Behind would fall short of expectations. Few could have imagined in 2001, however, that the law’s name would become synonymous with excessive testing and federal overreach.

With the stroke of President Obama’s pen last week, the much-maligned No Child Left Behind became history and a new law, the Every Student Succeeds Act, took its place. Both of North Carolina’s U.S. senators and all but four of our members of Congress (none representing Rowan) supported the new measure. U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx said the law “gets Washington out of the business of running schools.” Not completely; the law maintains annual testing to identify student groups who are failing. However, Every Student Succeeds gives states the power to come up with their own standards and to figure out how to help schools that don’t make the grade.

Before educators and parents launch into cartwheels, they should wait and see how the transition plays out. The decrease in federal authority hands power back to the states. In North Carolina, the Republican-controlled General Assembly started out with an adversarial attitude toward public education. Little trust remains between public school advocates and legislative leaders, so giving the state more power could be a mixed bag. Recent actions are not encouraging. Beginning teachers have received healthy pay bumps, but experienced educators have been left behind. A new grading system gives each school a letter grade, sometimes the educational equivalent of a scarlet letter. And an impractical calendar law backed by both parties refuses to die.

How did the law of unintended consequences play out for No Child? Public outcry against testing was obvious. Teacher burnout might be another byproduct. Schools are buffeted by many forces, however. The rising child poverty rate, growth of private schools and the modern tendency to “have it your way” are also at play, leading to what appears to be a new form of segregation. It doesn’t help when conservatives demonize public schools as dens of iniquity.

Hiring and retaining the best teachers will continue to be the most important factor in the quality of education children receive, regardless of state or federal laws. But the standards, tests, pay and respect that come down the legislative pipeline have a large bearing on whether someone chooses to teach. Before “Every Student Succeeds,” every teacher must have the power to succeed. That’s the test North Carolina has to pass next.