On January 8, 2002, President Bush signed into law the No Child Left Behind law, often known by its acronym NCLB. Bush had sought to improve education mightily as Texas governor and called for national educational reform during his presidential campaign. NCLB requires school districts to meet specific state standards and testing to ensure that children are learning. The federal law does not set national standards, but allows states to set their own level of standards to measure student competency. The law also has led to increased funding for education in the country. But NCLB is not without its critics. They charge that the law has distorted education by focusing too much on standardized tests and not teaching enough about civic education and other subjects. It is a controversial law with many educators.