Yesterday, with much fanfare, Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings appeared in Minnesota to announce an important new pilot program under No Child Left Behind (NCLB).
The Star Tribune pointed out one problem with staging the news conference about the pilot in the North Star State: Minnesota's schools aren't eligible to apply to be one of ten states involved in the program:
U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings was in Minnesota on Tuesday to announce a proposed pilot project for the federal No Child Left Behind law that would give 10 states more flexibility in addressing struggling schools' specific needs.
Critics and supporters alike say No Child Left Behind paints with too broad a brush the schools that struggle to show academic improvement.
However, Minnesota doesn't yet have enough of those schools to participate in the pilot project, prompting some to question why Spellings made the announcement here and whether it was an effort to help Sen. Norm Coleman in his reelection campaign.
Spellings appeared at the state Department of Revenue and the State Capitol alongside Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Coleman.
As a long-time high school teacher at Mankato West, now on leave to serve in the U.S. House, Congressman Walz has written to Secretary Spellings asking her to explain herself. Good idea: taxpayers footed the bill for yesterday's dog and pony show
We're guessing that Congressman Walz hears even more about assessment than the typical teacher. His spouse, Gwen, is the assessment coordinator for the Mankato public school system.
Here's an image of the letter Walz sent Spellings.
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