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BUSINESS COALITION FOR STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND UPDATE, MARCH 26, 2008
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With the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) up for reauthorization, parents, educators, experts and concerned citizens are speaking up in support of No Child Left Behind. Third in the series of voices from the field, this week's quote highlights how the standards set under NCLB are helping to raise student achievement. Valarie Lewis "The programs we developed... ensure that students not only have the knowledge base to meet state standards, but also prepared them to be knowledgeable to be educated citizens. The standards we have achieved are just a part of our journey to making sure that all students can succeed." |
U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings and Deputy Secretary of Education Ray Simon continue to tour the states, highlighting the education achievements of each. This week, Deputy Secretary of Education Ray Simon visited several states as well to promote NCLB's statewide success. You can track their travels by clicking here.
- Kentucky: Successfully raising student achievement
Secretary Spellings highlighted progress toward No Child Left Behind goals in two roundtables she hosted with Rep. Geoff Davis (KY-4) at Mason County Intermediate School in Maysville, and Fourth Street Elementary School in Newport. Educators, students, college presidents, and business and community leaders discussed progress the state has made, especially among low-income students. Read more in the Cincinnati Enquirer >>
'No Child' Is Credited With Pushing Disabled students to Higher Levels of Achievement
The Virginia General Assembly has passed a bill that would give the state's board of education the option of leaving NCLB behind. Virginia's been down this road before. In 2004, it passed a Republican-backed resolution saying it didn't have the money to comply with the law, prompting this statement from then-Secretary of Education Rod Paige. Virginia stuck with the law.
Read more in the Washington Post >>
Pennsylvania teachers support NCLB
Pennsylvania's Boyertown district has been proactive in tackling the challenges of No Child Left Behind, reorganizing staff and curriculum to match the law's requirements. "I really think No Child Left Behind has changed the way you teach," said Amy J. Flannery, a fine arts teacher in the Boyertown School District. "The end result is positive."
Read more in the Reading Eagle >>
Oregon schools help close the achievement gap
Six Oregon schools were named state champions at raising achievement among low-income and minority students. These schools' success has been due to factors including strong teacher training and coordination among teachers on goals so that students arrive prepared for the next grade.
Read more in the the Oregonian >>
States Get Flexibility on Targets
As President Bush nears the end of his tenure, his administration is putting its final stamp on the No Child Left Behind Act and trying to lay the groundwork for the law's future. The latest effort will allow as many as 10 states to create alternative interventions for schools that have failed to meet their achievement targets under the 6-year-old law.
Read more in Education Week >>