NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND

Montana Educators Optimistic About Congressional Changes

By Headwaters News, 11-13-06

Since Tuesday’s election, news sites and blogs have been astir with speculation about just what the results of the election means, and what a Democrat-controlled U.S. Senate and U.S. House will do — or not do.


Many editorial writers have suggested it’s put up or shut up time for Democratic leaders: Now that the campaigning is over, it’s time for the federal lawmakers to get something done.


Most of the articles talk about what the future holds with regard to earmarks, the war in Iraq, immigration reform, health care and even what might happen should Congress try to raise the federal minimum wage.

But another federal program that has created its share of controversy in the West is coming up for reauthorization in 2007, and Montana educators are hoping that the new leadership in Congress will give them some flexibility with the No Child Left Behind Act.


The Great Falls Tribune writes that Linda McCullough, the state superintendent for the Office of Public Instruction in Montana, hopes that when No Child comes up for reauthorization, federal lawmakers will take a hard look at the broad education mandate and make some changes.

McCullough would like changes made to several areas of the law, most notably where the federal education law – which requires all students of all abilities make discernable yearly progress – and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act – which requires schools provide age- and ability-appropriate learning opportunities to students with special needs-- are in direct conflict.



Educators would also like some changes made on how schools and teachers are held accountable. They say tests are needed to judge progress but that progress can’t be judged on test results alone.

Finally, and perhaps most important for Montana — where a number of one-room schools and primarily rural schools are still in operation — the law needs to be flexible for small, rural schools, where limited budgets and staff make compliance a hardship.

Montana was able to meet the latest standard of the federal education law to take effect – that of certifying that all of the state’s public school teachers are “highly qualified.”

McCullough said the state’s successful efforts in getting its methods for determining teacher qualifications may help with future efforts to change the way the schools measure students’ progress. The state’s previous two attempts to get federal approval on state-specific methods of measuring student progress failed.

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