Saint Paul, Minnesota, March 18, 2008 – CCSSO Executive Director Gene Wilhoit joined Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings today as she announced the new U.S. Department of Education (ED) pilot program on differentiated accountability. Secretary Spellings recognized the Council of Chief State School Officers for their role in advocating for greater flexibility in No Child Left Behind and working with ED to ensure the law permits and promotes state and local innovation.
“Differentiating accountability for schools and districts is a step in the right direction and is one of the most critical issues in reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA),” Gene Wilhoit stated. “This pilot program moves No Child Left Behind in the right direction by beginning to allow states and districts to better target interventions.”
Today, Secretary Spellings demonstrated her commitment to the type of state-federal partnership that will move education reform ahead and ultimately improve outcomes for kids,” added Wilhoit. “States are looking forward to working with ED and Congress on making this pilot program successful, and expanding flexibility to all states.”
Providing a fairer differentiation of consequences is a centerpiece of CCSSO’s ESEA reauthorization platform (ESEA Reauthorization Policy Statement, CCSSO Recommendations to Reauthorize ESEA).
The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) is a nationwide, nonprofit organization of public officials who head departments of elementary and secondary education in the states, the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense Education Activity, and five U.S. extra-state jurisdictions. CCSSO provides leadership, advocacy, and technical assistance on major educational issues. The Council seeks members’ consensus on major educational issues and expresses their views to civic and professional organizations, federal agencies, Congress, and the public.
