The National School Boards Association recently reinvigorated its campaign for reform of the federal No Child Left Behind law and is calling on all local school boards to adopt a resolution supporting NSBA's NCLB reform act and asking members of Congress to co-sponsor the bill.

Education committees in both the U.S. House and Senate are drafting their own bills to reauthorize NCLB and hope to finish by the end of June. The support of local districts across the country will strongly enhance NSBA's efforts to achieve substantial change.

"This is a strong way for local communities to take their message to Washington, D.C.," said David Williams, OSBA Legislative & Public Affairs specialist. "We have a great opportunity to move Congress toward rational change in NCLB, and OSBA supports this effort and calls on all local boards to adopt resolutions supporting NSBA's efforts."

NSBA has developed over 40 comprehensive recommendations for the reauthorization of the Elementary Secondary and Elementary Education and NCLB acts. The recommendations are based on input from local school board members throughout the country. Supporting NSBA's legislation will allow NSBA's federal advocates to make a stronger case to members of Congress from Oregon about the need for NCLB reform.

"Oregon's Congressional delegation has consistently supported OSBA and public education in Oregon," said Williams. "However, as we move to reauthorization of NCLB, we need to help our members of Congress understand the failings of NCLB as well as what can be done to fix it."

Next week (May 14-18, 2007), the Oregon House Education Committee will consider its own support of increased flexibility in NCLB in the form of Senate Joint Memorial 12. SJM 12 will call on Congress to "immediately amend the No Child Left Behind Act to include a mechanism for a waiver from its provisions for school accountability that shall automatically be granted to states such as Oregon that have high student achievement and to exempt states from any of its provisions that are not adequately federally funded."

More on NSBA's effort to improve NCLB

NCLB Reform Co-sponsors Online Resource Guide

NCLB Reform Co-sponsors Toolkit (Letters, sample resolution, quick reference guide...)