NCLB

May 14, 2008 -- Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal today, in an appeal filed with the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, is seeking to uphold a provision of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act that bars the federal government from imposing unreimbursed costs on towns and cities.

The appeal seeks to recover hundreds of millions of dollars that Connecticut towns and cities are being forced to spend - illegally, without federal reimbursement - in order to comply with NCLB.

Blumenthal is appealing from the U.S. District Court, which declined to rule on the actual merits of his case. Blumenthal has asked the court to uphold that the Unfunded Mandates Provision under NCLB means what it says it means:    » read more »

April 22, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, DC— Today, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, released the following statement in response to the new regulations for No Child Left Behind announced by Margaret Spellings, the Secretary of Education.

Abandoned school, Indiana: Photo by Christopher Titzer (CC)

“The regulatory changes announced by Secretary Spellings include important improvements for implementing No Child Left Behind, even as Congress considers further reforms to the law.    » read more »

Additional Funding Would Improve Educational Guidance for Students and Families

April 10, 2008 -- Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) is leading an effort to increase federal funding for school counseling programs to ensure our nation’s children are getting the educational, social, and health services support they need as students.

An abandoned school in Detroit: Photo by Derek Farr (CC)    » read more »

GAO Report Reveals Flaws

Washington, D.C. -- March 25, 2008 -- With more than 10,000 schools across the country identified as low-performing under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA), a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report written at the request of U.S. Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Arlen Specter (R-PA) has found that the Education Department failed to properly oversee one of the most critical sources of NCLBA funding.    » read more »

3/18/2008 -- Today the Bush Administration took a step forward in addressing the systemic problems in No Child Left Behind through a pilot that will allow 10 states to create more nuanced systems of school accountability. While a small pilot, this is a long overdue step in the right direction.

By allowing states to differentiate between schools that need modest improvements and those that are chronically failing, this pilot will provide some much-needed flexibility.    » read more »

March 18, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, DC— Today, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Chairman of Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, released the following statement in response to Secretary Spelling’s announcement on No Child Left Behind this morning.

“I’m glad that Secretary Spellings recognizes the need to adjust the No Child Left Behind Act. I wish President Bush was serious about funding it.    » read more »

February 21, 2008 -- U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings today joined Missouri Commissioner of Education Dr. D. Kent King for a meeting with the State Board of Education in Jefferson City, Mo., where she delivered remarks and discussed how the Federal government can support and facilitate further academic gains made by Missouri students under No Child Left Behind. Secretary Margaret Spellings applauded Missouri's efforts to increase accountability and discussed opportunities for improvement and innovation under No Child Left Behind.    » read more »

Secretary Margaret Spellings Discusses Student Achievement in Kansas, Announces Nearly $1 Million School Improvement Grant

Margaret Spellings Discusses Mississippi's Progress Under NCLB and Announces $1.6 Million School Improvement Grant

February 14, 2008 -- U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings today attended the Mississippi State Board of Education meeting and participated in an education policy roundtable discussion with Gov. Haley Barbour and Mississippi Superintendent of Education Hank Bounds in Jackson, Miss. Spellings discussed progress toward No Child Left Behind goals in Mississippi and across the country.    » read more »

- Strengthens Nation's Commitment to No Child Left Behind
- Restores funding for Reading First

February 4, 2008, WASHINGTON, DC — Secretary Spellings today highlighted President Bush's historic support for No Child Left Behind (NCLB), and said, "This budget provides the necessary resources for critical programs that equip American students with the skills they need to compete and succeed in the knowledge-based economy."    » read more »

Poll shows why ‘No Child Left Behind Act’ needs to be amended

January 24, 2008 -- WASHINGTON—A new national poll shows the majority of voters surveyed understand the importance of subjects like art and music in developing the imagination—which they believe is critical for children to acquire skills necessary to prosper in the future.    » read more »

Chairman Kennedy responds to Secretary. of Education’s remarks today on NCLB Reauthorization

January 10, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, DC— Today, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, released the following statement in response to Secretary Spellings’ remarks made this afternoon at the National Press Club on reauthorizing No Child Left Behind.    » read more »

Washington, D.C. - 01/09/2008 - Education Week launched a new report card today, grading the states across six areas of education performance and policy. While the U.S. posted a grade of C overall, the average state earned a D-plus on public school achievement, the poorest showing of any graded category. Marks were also low for state efforts to improve teaching, where 10 states earned a grade of D or lower.    » read more »

NCLB’s sixth anniversary demands bold, new vision for public schools

January 8, 2008 -- WASHINGTON—Six years after President Bush signed No Child Left Behind into law, children are still being treated as standardized test scores. The National Education Association is calling for a bold, new vision for public education—a vision that prepares children with the necessary skills for the real world and moves beyond NCLB’s narrow focus on testing.    » read more »

Victory announced on eve of controversial law's sixth anniversary

January 7, 2008 -- WASHINGTON -- On the same day President George W. Bush held a press conference in Chicago to defend the failing No Child Left Behind, and on the eve of NCLB's sixth anniversary, a federal appeals court delivered yet another major blow to the controversial law. The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit ruled today that Secretary Spellings is violating the Spending Clause of the Constitution by requiring states and school districts to spend their own funds to comply with the law.    » read more »