Connecticutt Files Suit Over No Child Left Behind

Connecticut has become the first state to sue the federal government on the No Child Left Behind Act, claiming the Bush administration has not provided enough money to pay for new testing and programs. Several local school districts and the National Education Association have lawsuits pending.

In Public Agenda’s research study, “Rolling Up Their Sleeves,” almost nine in 10 school administrators called No Child Left Behind an “unfunded mandate.” Majorities of superintendents and principals also say the law needs some fine tuning before it can work. Interestingly, we found superintendents from large school districts are much more likely to support the law’s key components than their colleagues from smaller school systems.

While most Americans have heard of the No Child Left Behind Act, nearly seven in 10 say they don’t know enough to form an opinion. Even so, a majority of Americans say the law will improve education. Furthermore, three-quarters of voters say schools will need more money to implement the act and that the federal government should be responsible for providing additional funding. Since very few of the general public has firsthand experience with how the required measures would actually work, poll results on this topic should be reported with caution.

Find out more about “Rolling Up Their Sleeves: Superintendents and Principals Talk About What’s Needed to Fix Public Schools”:

http://www.publicagenda.org/research/research_reports_details.cfm?list=9

Read our Red Flags on Education:
http://www.publicagenda.org/issues/red_flags.cfm?issue_type=education#NCLB

Read The Associated Press story:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9042496/