The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, the 2001 reauthorization of President Lyndon Johnson's Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, symbolizes all things good and bad in education. While its basic concepts--accountability for results, research-based education programs, increased parental options, and expanded local control and flexibility--have wide support, some say NCLB has failed to deliver. This article answers some questions on the role of the US Department of Education in addressing ambiguities in the law and if the congress has overstepped its legal authority with NCLB. In answering these questions, the author takes a closer look at federalism as expressed in the US Constitution and interpreted by the US Supreme Court.