The Department of Education is again inviting states to take part in a pilot initiative that would reverse the order of key consequences for schools that miss academic-performance targets under the No Child Left Behind Act.
During the current academic year, a limited number of districts in five states—Alaska, Delaware, Indiana, North Carolina, and Virginia—have been permitted to offer students a choice of supplemental educational services a year before having to provide the option of transferring to a higher-performing school.
As many as seven districts in each state may participate. States are being asked to apply on behalf of the districts.
In a May 30 letter to state school chiefs, Morgan S. Brown, who oversees the department’s office of innovation and improvement, said the “positive results” the federal agency has seen with the pilot to date are evidence that it is “an effective policy approach.”
Normally, districts are to offer school choice first, after a school receiving federal Title I aid has not made adequate yearly progress for two consecutive years. And if the school misses that target for a third year, the district is also to give students free access to tutoring.
For more stories on this topic see No Child Left Behind and our Federal news page.
For background, previous stories, and Web links, read Choice.
