Forum on Educational Accountability
http://www.edaccountability.org

                                                                        for further information:

                                                                        Dr. Monty Neill            (617) 864-4810

                                                                        or Bob Schaeffer          (239) 395-6773

for release Wednesday, February 20, 2008

SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE URGED TO ALLOW “ADEQUATE TIME”

FOR “NO CHILD” REDRAFT REVIEW TO AVOID “UNINTENDED EFFECTS”

      The Forum on Educational Accountability (FEA) today called on U.S Senate leaders to allow “adequate time” for public review of proposed revisions to the controversial “No Child Left Behind” (NCLB) federal law.  The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) is expected to mark up reauthorization legislation early this spring.    

      In a letter delivered to HELP Committee members’ offices, the FEA wrote, “While the Committee has indeed labored for some time to work through the complicated issues and views surrounding this law, it is important not to rush through a bill at the end of this process.” The letter said that allowing time for review “will help ensure that the bill results in as few unintended effects as possible.”

      FEA advances the Joint Organizational Statement on NCLB now signed by 143 national education, civil rights, religious, disability, parent, labor and civic groups.

      The letter to HELP Committee members reiterated the Joint Statement’s fundamental principles for revising NCLB including:

• Replacing the law’s arbitrary proficiency targets with realistic outcome and improvement goals based on rates of success actually achieved by the most effective schools;

• Overhauling assessments to reduce testing, support multiple indicators of learning, and utilize growth models, while funding development of a new accountability system;

• Focusing on improvement, not punishment, by eliminating sanctions that lack track-records of success and allowing reform efforts sufficient time to succeed;.
   

• Supporting high quality professional development and other actions necessary to ensure that all students make strong learning gains; and
   

• Fully funding Title I and supplying additional resources needed to ensure all schools can develop their capacity to serve their students well.

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* The letter to Senate HELP Committee, the Joint Statement on NCLB, a complete list of signers, and other Forum on Educational Accountability documents are available online at www.edaccountabilty.org