U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings today addressed the North Carolina State Board of Education in Raleigh, North Carolina, and discussed how the Federal government can support and facilitate further academic gains made by North Carolina students under No Child Left Behind. Secretary Spellings applauded North Carolina's efforts to increase accountability and discussed opportunities for improvement and innovation under No Child Left Behind. Following the meeting, Secretary Spellings participated in an education policy roundtable discussion with Howard Lee, chairman, North Carolina State Board of Education; June Atkinson, North Carolina State Superintendent; and North Carolina educators and school administrators.

"Thanks to a long history of accountability, North Carolina has pioneered innovative approaches to improving education. From growth models, to an alternate assessment for students with disabilities based on modified standards, North Carolina has been a leader," said Secretary Spellings. "Six years after No Child Left Behind changed the education game in this nation, we can be proud of where it has brought us. The law's core principles guide our conversation on education, and now is the time to build on the momentum."

At the Board of Education meeting, Secretary Spellings applauded North Carolina for its innovation, particularly as one of the first states to use a growth model to measure individual student progress towards grade-level proficiency by 2014. Secretary Spellings noted that North Carolina's proficiency levels have been among the lowest in the nation but recognized the state for starting to raise standards. In addition, Secretary Spellings discussed other opportunities for improvement that could help build on North Carolina's progress such as reducing n-size to prevent students from slipping through the cracks.

Secretary Spellings also emphasized the need to equip every child with a highly qualified education and prepare them for the 21st century global economy. She urged that as a nation we must find ways to address consensus areas such as using a more nuanced accountability system to distinguish between schools missing performance goals across the board and those who come within range; taking more aggressive steps to address and improve high school graduation rates; ensuring that more eligible students are taking advantage of free tutoring; and doing a better job of recruiting and preparing good teachers and getting them in to schools where they are needed most.

In January, Secretary Spellings marked the sixth anniversary of No Child Left Behind with President Bush in Chicago, where he charged her with visiting States to discuss how the Federal government can work together with them to move forward under No Child Left Behind. Following her visit to North Carolina, Secretary Spellings will continue the dialogue on No Child Left Behind and priorities for 2008 at the end of the week with a trip to West Virginia.

To view Mapping North Carolina's Educational Progress for 2008, please visit http://www.ed.gov/nclb/accountability/results/progress/northcarolina.pdf

For Mapping America's Educational Progress 2008, visit http://www.ed.gov/nclb/accountability/results/progress/nation.html.

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