A QUARTER OF THE WAY THERE:

States Have More Schools Falling Behind (Paul Basken, March 29, 2006, Bloomberg News)

More than a quarter of U.S. schools are failing under terms of President Bush's No Child Left Behind law, according to preliminary state-by-state statistics reported to the U.S. Department of Education.

At least 24,470 U.S. public schools, or 27 percent of the national total, did not meet the federal requirement for "adequate yearly progress" in 2004-2005. The percentage of failing schools rose by one point from the previous school year. Under the 2002 law, schools that do not make sufficient academic progress face penalties including the eventual replacement of their administrators and teachers.

The results raise doubts about whether the law is working and its results are fairly calculated, said Michael Petrilli, vice president for policy at the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, a Washington-based research group.

How can they still not get that the point is for 100% to eventually be failing which will make every child in America eligible for vouchers? A law that requires even special education students achieve standards of proficiency does not intend that any school be found to be passing.

Posted by Orrin Judd at March 29, 2006 9:16 PM