Advice to Congress: Dump part or all of 'No Child Left Behind'

Utah's schools chief has some advice for Congress: Dump some or all of No Child Left Behind, or change the rules to resemble the Utah Performance Assessment System for Students and other state initiatives.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Patti Harrington has drafted a position paper on the controversial federal law at the request of Utah's congressional delegation. The congressmen are gearing up for the law's expected reauthorization in 2008 or later, State Associate SuperintendentRay Timothy said.

"I think the best way for them to go is honor what states want," including ongoing assessment,clear standards and immediate help for struggling children, without federal intrusion, and "I hope they'll do more than tinker around the edges," Harrington said.

"It's not about what Utah says, it's about what good practice should demand. The law has been about public humiliation as opposed to standardizing good practice, and it should be about standardizing good practice."

Harrington is expected to present her draft to the State Board of Education this morning for fine-tuning. Timothy said the draft was created after talks with other state school chiefs in the Alliance for Excellent Education, which has been working on issues for the law's reauthorization.

But some question whether the position paper contains sound advice.

"I have concerns that the process of holding schools accountable and ensuring that all children have access and (the state sees) equitable outcomes among all students and all student groups is somehow going to be lost in this process," said Andrea Rorrer, University of Utah assistant professor in educational leadership and policy and director of the Utah Education Policy Center. She calls the law a starting point for accountability that the state should build upon.

No Child Left Behind seeks to have all children, regardless of race, income, disability or knowledge of English, reading and doing math on grade level by 2014. Utah receives more than $100 million, much of it for students in low-income neighborhoods, to meet the goal.

Utah has called the law an intrusion on state education rights. Last year, the Utah Legislature passed a law requiring schools here to focus on state — not federal — education goals.

Harrington and U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings since have had a meeting described as cordial and productive. But Utah lost its bid to participate in a pilot for measuring growth in student achievement.

State school chiefs are calling for a summit with Spellings or President Bush to discuss their frustrations with the law, states Harrington's letter contained in the State Board of Education's meeting packet. Congress also is doing a one-year road trip to receive feedback on the law.

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