The purpose of this research was to study the effects of the emphasis on achieving Adequate Yearly Progress at elementary schools under the regulations of the No Child Left Behind legislation. Qualitative data were gathered through interviews with fifty educators: forty-three teachers and seven administrators. All of the educators worked at six schools that had not achieved Adequate Yearly Progress for one or more years. All of the schools had consultants working with the faculty on the implementation of various new teaching strategies and new mandated curricular programs. Some of the findings included the following: (1) All of the teachers admitted to different levels of low morale and stress. (2) The administrators recognized the effects of the low morale and stress in their teachers. (3) All of the educators felt the need for more staff at their schools including the following: reading, math, data, technology, and special needs teachers. (4) None of the educators believed that the consultants had much of an effect on their daily teaching strategies. (5) Most of the educators felt the district and state officials needed to show empathy for their concerns and listen to the teachers at the building level for input into the necessary changes. Implications for further study included the following: (1) Doing pilot studies using the suggestions of the educators at schools that had not achieved Adequate Yearly Progress. (2) Setting up programs at the schools in conjunction with other agencies such as the local Department of Health and Human Resources, the local health clinics, and other community agencies to meet the needs of the students regarding their health and conditions of their home lives. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]