Comprehensive and longterm

1
CEPs Work on theNo Child Left Behind Act

• Comprehensive and long-term
• Totally independent
• Praised and criticized

2
CEPs Work--continued

• Major annual reports--4
• Focused reports, e.g. funding, Reading First,
  curriculum narrowing--43
• Comprehensive reports on student achievement--2
• Restructuring schools reports--14
• Rethinking the federal role

3
Educational Architects

• How can state education agencies transform
  themselves from the traditional focus on
  monitoring districts compliance with federal
  mandates to a new focus on designing a
  comprehensive education system to bring all
  students to academic proficiency?

4
Educational Architects

• Sources of information
• -- CEPs annual survey of officials in all 50
  states, carried out in late 2006, and
• --Interviews with 15 high-ranking state
  officials from 11 states, carried out in early
  2007.

5
Educational Architects

• Four major challenges to SEAs carrying out NCLB
• Limitations in staffing and infrastructure
• Inadequate federal funding
• Lack of guidance and support from ED
• Barriers in NCLB and within SEAs

6
Educational Architects

• The nature of state education agencies
• State, not federal, agencies
• Influence of state politics
• SEA bureaucracy

7
Educational Architects

• The structure of state education agencies
• From isolation to collaboration
• Changes in work culture
• Tension over local control
• More customer-service oriented

8
Educational Architects

• Accountability challenges of NCLB
• --State assessments
• --Notifying districts about AYP
• --Assessments of English proficiency
• --Technology

9
Educational Architects

• Assisting low-performing schools
• --Monitoring districts efforts, 42 states to a
  great extent or moderately
• --Providing technical assistance, 42 states to
  a great extent or moderately

10
Educational Architects

• Major challenges to SEAs transforming themselves
  to assist low-performing schools
• --Insufficient staff
• --Insufficient funds
• --Growing numbers of schools
• --Lack of proven techniques and strategies to
  turn around schools
• --Sustaining progress

11
Educational Architects

• Conclusions
• 1. State agencies are carrying out their NCLB
  duties, given restraints in staffing and funding,
  and federal and state limitations
• 2. State agencies are transforming themselves
• 3. The federal law must be changed to help
  states, and states agencies must find ways to
  help themselves