Report: Montana 1 of only 2 states lagging in education reforms

[Ediacara]

Report: Montana 1 of only 2 states lagging in education reforms

By SARAH COOKE
Associated Press Writer

HELENA (AP) -- Montana is one of just two states that appear not to have met or be partially on track to meeting key requirements of President Bush's sweeping education reforms, a new independent study shows.

The Treasure State has shown improvement in the past year in complying with directives of the No Child Left Behind law, according to a review of the 2001 reforms by the Education Commission of the States. But the state has not met or does not appear to be meeting at least 30 of 40 of the law's major requirements, instead fulfilling or partly complying with 28 of them, commission analyst Mary Fulton said.

Wyoming is the other state lagging in compliance, as is the District of Columbia, the report said.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Linda McCulloch took issue with the report, saying it didn't tell the whole story and left out key information. She also said it contained several mistakes and that it accused Montana of being delinquent in some areas it has already complied with.

"We have never received anything from the Department of Education saying we're not in compliance," she said Thursday.

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