NCLB

State restructuring efforts for NCLB often take a back seat to the more comprehensive reforms. Look for State Superintendent Mike Flanagan’s remarks in the last paragraph of this Wall Street Journal article.  READ MORE

Michigan and other states would have to ensure that schools required to restructure under the federal No Child Left Behind Act are making meaningful changes and local districts would have to be more clear to parents what tutoring and choice options are available under new regulations unveiled Tuesday.
U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, speaking to the Detroit Economic Club, also announced the creation of a National Technical Advisory Council to meet the requirements of the law.
And she said she was continuing to work with Congress to have the law renewed.

STATEMENT BY SECRETARY MARGARET SPELLINGS ON PONTIAC (MI) SCHOOL DISTRICT ET AL. V. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION CASE

Statement by Secretary Spellings on the Pontiac (MI) School District et al. v. U.S. Department of Education case:

I am pleased to announce today that the Solicitor General has authorized the filing of a petition for rehearing en banc in the case Pontiac (MI) School District et al. v. U.S. Department of Education. The petition will be filed shortly.

Groups call for improvements on law’s 6th anniversary
By Frank Wolfe

Tuesday marked the sixth anniversary of the enactment of NCLB, and education stakeholders of both political persuasions are calling for improvements to President Bush’s signature domestic achievement in a looming reauthorization of the law this spring.

Rep. Buck McKeon, R-Calif., ranking member of the House Education and Labor Commit tee, said Republicans did not agree with many provisions of the House draft reauthorization bill by Chairman George Miller, D-Calif.

Hold the champagne! Federal Court Rules NCLB is Unconstitutional
(and tomorrow would have been the anniversary)
January 7, 2008
The Sixth Federal Circuit Court has ruled that NCLB is unconstitutional because the Fed did not provide clear notice to the states of the cost implications if the states accepted the money and that the the Secretary's interpretation of the NCLB unfunded mandates provision was not correct.
Read attachment for Court opinion.