http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/03-23-2005/0003243253&EDATE=ALEXANDRIA, Va., March 23 /PRNewswire/ -- A new national study released today tracking the ongoing implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act
(NCLB) at the state level has found that nearly all states are short on the staff and resources necessary to meet NCLB's requirements. The findings by the independent and non-partisan Center on Education Policy affirm an earlier analysis by the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) that state departments of education lack the infrastructure needed to help schools and districts succeed. The association is calling on Congress to make building "state capacity" a spending priority in the FY06 budget.
"This report confirms what NASBE and state boards of education have been
saying for some time: that Congress and the Administration must help states build the infrastructure and staff expertise of state departments of education in order to help improve low performing schools identified by NCLB," said Brenda Welburn, NASBE Executive Director.
"The ultimate success of the No Child Left Behind Act will rise or fall depending on the ability of states to provide assistance to schools and local districts. Unfortunately, most state departments of education are currently not structured to deliver the comprehensive services NCLB requires they provide low-performing schools. New federal resources are critical to helping states quickly make this transition to becoming more directly involved at the local level with improving student achievement," noted Welburn.
The Center on Education Policy report found that 36 states do not have the internal capacity to carry out all of NCLB's requirements, with nine others concerned about their ability to meet federal mandates as the number of low- performing schools continues to rise. Only one state believes it has sufficient capacity, according to CEP.