Last week, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings acknowledged that there is flexibility within the administrative process to carry out the No Child Left Behind Act. However, she emphasized that the law itself is not up for debate.
In an interview with Education Week, Ms. Spellings, who assumed office on January 20th, emphasized that there are certain non-negotiable elements of the law. One of these is the requirement for annual testing in grades 3-8, which she believes is essential for successful implementation. She stated that the administration has dedicated significant time and resources to support states in implementing these tests, so she expects them to fulfill their obligations.
Despite calls to amend the law in Congress, Ms. Spellings expressed her preference for seeking solutions within the Department of Education. She believes that refinements and modifications can be achieved through administrative actions without requiring changes to the law. However, she made it clear that states should not anticipate waivers from the law during her tenure. She expressed concern that in the past, states had become too reliant on waivers and had not fully complied with the provisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
Ms. Spellings acknowledged that there is some room for flexibility within the administrative process, but she opposed granting waivers for everything, seeing it as a dangerous path. She stated that the current focus should be on technical refinements of the law and expressed her belief that the law is here to stay.
In terms of ensuring highly qualified teachers in every classroom, the Education Department indicated that there may be some additional leeway for states. Following negotiations with North Dakota officials, it was agreed that veteran elementary teachers in the state could meet the "highly qualified teacher" requirements if they have an elementary education major and are fully licensed. Ms. Spellings emphasized that this decision does not represent a reversal but rather acknowledges that the state now has a standardized evaluation system in place.
Under the law, teachers already in the classroom can demonstrate their qualification through various means, such as having a major or passing a subject test, or meeting state-specific alternative standards. However, studies have shown significant variation in these standards across states.
According to Ms. Spellings, the items that we will be discussing with Congress are quite apparent. She pointed out that numerous governors are now discussing the importance of high school proficiency, readiness for work and college, as well as completion rates in their respective states. She expressed her curiosity in learning about their strategies and mentioned that these state policies generally apply to all schools, rather than just Title I schools.
