 President's No Child Left Behind One of Six States to Engage in 'Following the Leaders' August 08, 2002
"We are very fortunate to have in Alaska committed teachers, administrators and education policy makers available to work with us on this endeavor," said Dr. Shirley Holloway, Commissioner of the Department of Education & Early Development. "We are eager to begin putting together a more comprehensive support structure to help them do their jobs even better so that every child makes adequate and appropriate academic progress." "ELC is excited to be working with Alaska in this first phase of 'Following the Leaders' to realize the goals of the new law," said Lisa Graham Keegan, CEO of Education Leaders Council. "Last month, 28 states applied to participate in this project. Each applicant showed tremendous interest and a 'can-do' spirit. Alaska has an infectious enthusiasm and commitment to students, and we have the tools to help them put the promise of NCLB into practice," she said. Following the Leaders includes a combination of standardized tools and reports, as well as teaching aids and other features that can be customized to particular school needs. Teachers and principals will benefit from direct assistance as they begin to employ new resources that not only help them to align their lessons to state standards, but also to determine individual student progress. Parents also play a significant role, as they will now receive regular updates about their child's performance, ensuring that all stakeholders are informed and responsible for student achievement, a hallmark of NCLB. Alaska will be required immediately to: mobilize a leadership team, including a project coordinator; identify and prepare 15 to 50 schools to participate; provide detailed technical specifications for each of the schools and state offices that will be involved; and begin a comprehensive needs assessment. Alaska, Illinois, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and West Virginia were selected for their immediate capacity to use 'Following the Leader' tools effectively to realize the goals mandated by the NCLB, the landmark statute enacted in January 2002 that requires dramatic increases in the quality of public education. The law calls for all students to be tested annually in grades three through eight beginning with the 2002-2003 school year. School ratings will be based on tests of individual student performance, rather than on average class scores, to allow parents, teachers and policymakers to better address student needs so that "no child is left behind" in pursuit of a quality education. Schools not meeting minimum standards for student achievement must provide parents and students with a wide range of supplemental learning and instructional services. The six states chosen for the first phase represent a broad cross-section of the U.S. education landscape. Some states are well on their way to compliance; still others recognize that there is more work to be done. The six states are small and large, spread across the geographic, economic and political spectrum. Throughout the selection process, all 28 states that applied were informed that there are no winners and losers. September 2002 is simply the beginning of the first phase with the second rollout of states scheduled for January 2003 and yet another later in the year. Expansion of the program to additional states is dependent upon future appropriations, as is the extension of 'Following the Leaders' services to other schools and districts within existing states. The first phase of the project does include capacity-building features necessary to sustain reform and build for the future. Furthermore, ELC and its partners are committed to action and the need to deliver a model with workable solutions for the nation to follow. 'Following the Leaders' is a nationwide initiative coordinated by ELC in partnership with Project Achieve, AccountabilityWorks, the Milken Family Foundation and the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation. Funding for Following the Leaders was awarded by the U.S. Department of Education on June 28, 2002. Applications for the project were received from 28 states on July 19, 2002, including: AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, FL, GA, ID, IL, IO, LA, MA, MI, MN, MS, NH, NJ, NM, OK, PA, TN, UT, VT, VA, WV, WI, WY. According to the ELC news release, the Washington DC-based Education Leaders Council (ELC) is a not-for-profit, policy "action tank." It is comprised of reform-minded, state leaders who are committed to make a difference in education and student achievement. As advocates for school choice, teacher quality, accountability and standards, ELC is actively engaged in regional and national debates focused on these issues, maintaining that "good enough" is not good enough. ELC shares the belief that the time is now for no child to be left behind, continuing to exert pressure and provide the resources necessary to ensure excellence in education for all.
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