Policy Briefs (LD News: October 2006)

President Bush Holds Press Conference on the No Child Left Behind Act
On October 5, President Bush and U.S. Secretary of Education, Margaret Spellings publicly discussed the progress made under NCLB and areas where we can look to improve. To read the President's full remarks, click here.

U.S. Inspector General Issues Report on Reading First Program
A report issued by the U.S. Inspector General (IG) in late September 2006 has sparked debate and controversy about the application process required of states to become eligible for Reading First grants as authorized under No Child Left Behind. The IG plans to release five more reports about the Reading First program before the end of the year, which will evaluate how the department selected a technical-assistance provider for the program and explain several states' attempts to get their plans approved by the department. In January, the U.S. Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, plans to release its own report on the program.

To view the current IG report, click here.

To read Education Secretary Margaret Spellings comments on the report, click here.

School Restructuring Under No Child Left Behind
The Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement has developed a guide to help education leaders restructure the way their schools are led and information is delivered in order to meet the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act. The guide uses designs that have been found to be effective and that will direct daily activities, the monitoring of student progress, approaches for struggling students, and more.

To download a PDF of the guide (100 pages), click here.

More Work to Be Done to Involve Parents in Education
Appleseed, a nonprofit organization dedicated to building a just society, has issued a national report that states that federal, state, and local officials are not doing a good enough job of abiding by the parental involvement sections of the No Child Left Behind Act. The report indicates that although the provisions are solid and ambitious, they must be better enforced and implemented in order for them to be effective.

For the full article, click here.

Information for Parents about NCLB and Its Impact on Students with LD
The National Center for Learning Disabilities has initiated a number of activities and developed materials to help inform parents, policy makers, educators and others about NCLB and its direct impact on students with learning disabilities.

To view the available information, go to www.ld.org/nclb.

Parent Guide to NCLB and IDEA
The National Center on Educational Outcomes has published a guide to help parents understand the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). 

To download the guide in PDF format (23 pages), click here.