Jun 27, 2007 2 min read

HARRISBURG – A resolution calling for changes in the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2002 was presented in the House recently by Rep. Jess Stairs (R-Acme), Republican chairman of the House Education Committee. “This joint resolution sponsored by myself and my Democrat counterpart, Rep. James Roebuck (D-Philadelphia), calls for a full review and revision by Congress,” said Stairs. “It has been five years since this plan was put into place and the time has come to make changes that will make it more effective for our children in the commonwealth.”

The joint resolution calls for revisions in under-funded mandates; inflexible measures of accountability and assessment, which deals primarily with special education students and those who are English language learners; and a lack of funding for those schools most in need to help in those two areas.

“No Child Left Behind has brought a number of improvements to the educational systems of our nation without a doubt,” said Stairs. “Parents know more about their child’s academic performance in school than ever before but we need to send a strong message to Congress and President Bush that more has to be done, and quickly.”

House Resolution 345 calls for:

– Creating multiple measures of student learning and school effectiveness.

– Rewarding programs over time to improve student achievement at all levels.

– Recognizing individual needs of students, especially English language learners and special education students.

“There is no question in my mind that we can make this initiative better with attention to detail in the areas of funding and class size,” commented Stairs.

“Putting more attention on special education will help us shore up the overall education picture and give help to those who need it the most.”

There are more than 100 co-sponsors to the NCLB Act resolution.