A Move in the Right Direction on Education

by Mary Kane

U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings has recently proposed several changes to help strengthen the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law. Some of the changes include requiring all states to: use the same formula to calculate high school graduation rates; include the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) test scores alongside the results of state assessments; ensure parents of students at low-performing schools are better informed about their options to change schools and receive supplemental tutoring for those that qualify.

"I'm proposing new policy tools that will give families lifelines and empower educators to create dramatic improvement," Spellings said. "Many are actions that have gained broad support through conversations on how to strengthen No Child Left Behind. While I will continue working with legislators to renew this law, I also realize that students and families and teachers and schools need help now."

It doesn’t appear that Congress is going to act anytime soon on reauthorizing NCLB. Many of the regulations that the Secretary is proposing have broad support and should not be tied up in a political battle. We see this as a great step forward and commend the Secretary on taking action now. To see the full list of the Secretary’s proposals, please visit: http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/reg/proposal/index.html.