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States Aim to Reform NCLB

The non-partisan National Governors Association this week asked the federal government for more control over the notorious 2002 education referendum, No Child Left Behind.

Governors hooked up with state superintendents and state school board members just as NCLB comes up for renewal this year.

The law says that all public schools nationwide must meet proficiency standards by the 2013-14 school year. Since it became law in 2002, no school has completely met that requirement. In short, the association is asking for more flexibility to intervene at underperforming schools (currently the federal government can implement school takeovers), alternative assessments for special education students, and more leeway in defining who is a "highly qualified teacher."

A month ago, President Bush told Indiana school children and educators that he wants public schools to personalize and individualize education for each student. He also said he refuses to water down the law.

But its the devilish little details of this law that will determine the face of public education for the next six years. And like they have done with climate change, where there are similarly high stakes, states no longer trust the feds to handle things and are ready to deal with the details themselves.

—Gary Moskowitz

Posted by Mother Jones on 04/06/07 at 1:49 PM | E-mail | Print | Digg | de.licio.us | Reddit | Newsvine | Yahoo! MyWeb | StumbleUpon | Netscape | Google |