NSBA Urges U.S. House Education and Labor Committee To Focus on Priorities Proven to Raise Student AchievementAchievement, and Limit Expansion of New Requirements
Alexandria, VA – Sept 10 - In testimony today to the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee, the National School Boards Association urged lawmakers to heed the lessons learned during implementation of the current law and carefully consider how proposed changes will actually play out in schools across the country.
Reacting to the discussion draft of changes proposed by Rep. George Miller, “We are pleased with the movement away from the rigid punitive aspects and the one-size-fits-all approach and toward greater flexibility and more options for states and districts in the law’s implementation,” said NSBA Associate Executive Director Michael Resnick in his testimony before the Committee. “We are also pleased with the key concepts included in the draft such as growth models and indexing systems, multiple measures of academic achievement, and reforms regarding accountability measures for students with disabilities and English Language Learners.”
“However, one of our concerns with this draft is the addition of many new requirements, including significant process, data collection, and reporting requirements for schools and districts,” said Resnick. These proposed changes would overwhelm schools, and “substantially complicate general understanding of the revised law and its actual implementation.”
In its testimony, NSBA asks the Committee to prioritize those details that are absolutely necessary to help raise student achievement, and discard those that may sound ideal, but will only serve to complicate the work of schools.
To read NSBA’s complete testimony, please visit http://www.nsba.org/site/doc.asp?CID=895&DID=41534 . To learn more about NSBA’s proposed changes to No Child Left Behind, please visit http://www.nsba.org/site/page.asp?CID=895&DID=11192 .
Founded in 1940, the National School Boards Association is a not-for profit federation of state associations of school boards representing 95,000 local school board members throughout the United States. Its mission is to foster excellence and equity in public elementary and secondary education through local school board leadership. NSBA represents the school board perspective in working with federal government agencies and national organizations that impact education, and provides vital information and services to state associations of school boards throughout the nation.
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