U.S. Department of Education Secretary Margaret Spellings addressed the State Board of Education this morning.
Here is the CliffsNotes version of the speech:
Spellings’ address to the State Board of Education
o North Carolina is a pioneer and leader in the accountability movement
o No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is a ?game changer? and affirms our commitment to ?closing the achievement gap?
o North Carolina has demonstrated ?compelling results? that accountability is working
? NC is a leader in special education assessments
? NC is a leader in implementing a growth model/value added approach to student assessment
? NC is a leader is developing graduation requirements
? NC is a leader in students taking and passing advanced placement tests
? NC is ?working hard? on dropout issues
o ?We are pleased, but not satisfied, with the progress we have made.?
o ?There is more to praise about North Carolina than there is to criticize.?
o Where do we go from here?
? Growth model needed
? Provide more nuance in accountability system
? High school improvement; customize high school education
? Teacher quality ? best teachers doing quality work
? Resources ? fighting for increases in federal funding
Q&A with members of the State Board of Education
o McDevitt ? concerned about reauthorization
o Taft ? wants flexibility in NCLB
o Bartlett ? Governor Easley is dreamy; how to best deal with low performing schools
o Harris ? lessons learned
o Tate ? national testing and national curriculum; consulting the private sector in curriculum decisions
o Watt ? ?seamless? education from K ? 12 to college
Joke of the Day
Secretary Spellings, ?When it comes to national standards, Republicans aren?t for ?national? and Democrats aren?t for ?standards’.?
