February 2007 — News
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NCLB Commission Releases Recommendations
2/13/2007—The Commission on No Child Left Behind held a press conference Feb. 13 in Washington, DC to release its final report on the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). There were 75 recommendations in total in the report, titled Beyond NCLB: Fulfilling the Promise to Our Nation's Children.
The bi-partisan NCLB Commission, chaired former Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson and former Georgia Governor Roy E. Barnes, was formed about a year ago to gather information and make recommendations to Congress to ensure that NCLB becomes "a more useful force in closing the achievement gap that separates disadvantaged children and their peers." Those recommendations were released today by chairmen Thompson and Barnes, who were joined by Senator Edward M. Kennedy, chairman, Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions; Senator Mike Enzi, ranking member, Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions; Congressman George Miller, chairman, Committee on Education and Labor; and Congressman Howard P. "Buck" McKeon, ranking member, Committee on Education and Labor.
Chairman Barnes, speaking at the commission's press conference Feb. 13, said, "Our recommendations ... create a blueprint ... that we are hoping the Congress and the President will use to chart the course of the next reauthorization of this important law. We can, and we should, reauthorize No Child Left Behind this year. The commission stands ready to help and assist in any way that Congress should desire. And while the goals of No Child Left Behind are sound, our work has shown that the states and the status in the states is not perfect and in some instances does need significant change. This upcoming reauthorization discourse and discussion must keep what is working and make the changes that are necessary, if we are to realize those goals."
Over the course of the last year, the commission held six public hearings and six roundtable discussions, visited a number of schools, conducted research and received more than 10,000 comments via the group's website. Data collected was used in the recommendations, which came out in the form of a 222-page report that includes research, statistics, case studies, and recommendations for the ways in which NCLB can be improved to enhance student learning and improve the competitiveness of students in the United States in the global economy.
What kind of impact will this commission's recommendations have? In his presentation at the commission's press conference, Senator Kennedy said, "Unlike [with] other studies, unlike [with] other commissions, we, all of us, on the education and health committees in the House and the Senate are going to ... value [this commission's] recommendations. And I believe so many of their recommendations are going to see life."
Broadly, these recommendations fall into four categories:
- Teacher and principal effectiveness;
- Improved accountability;
- Effective school improvement and improved student options;
- Improvements to student standards and assessments.
The commission also addressed in its report the needs of English language learners, early childhood education, and improving support for migrant students.
