Deputy Secretary of Education Raymond Simon today addressed the Arkansas State Board of Education and participated in an education policy roundtable discussion. He discussed progress toward No Child Left Behind goals in Arkansas and across the country.

"No Child Left Behind changed our national conversation on education forever," Deputy Secretary Simon said. "Instead of questioning whether or not all students can learn, thanks to No Child Left Behind, we're finally beginning to make sure that every child is learning. Now it's time to build on this momentum by addressing the challenges the law has helped to uncover."

At the roundtable, Deputy Secretary Simon discussed a new tool recently released by the U.S. Department of Education, "Mapping Arkansas' Educational Progress 2008," which provides a comparative look at the state's key No Child Left Behind indicators.

"Arkansas educators and administrators deserve a lot of credit for developing a strong data system to take an honest, accurate look at your challenges," Deputy Secretary Simon said. "Compared to the Nation's Report Card, Arkansas students consistently rank among the top in the nation in both reading and math, and the state has among the highest standards in the country." In addition, he said, the state continues to make strides in narrowing the achievement gap between white and African American students. To better prepare students for college and the global economy, Arkansas will require more rigorous high school requirements, beginning in 2009.

"But we must make sure that educators have the best ways to chart student progress over time, the flexibility to improve struggling schools and more accurate ways to measure dropout rates," Deputy Secretary Simon said. "And we must make sure that students who need extra help can access free tutoring."

To view Mapping Arkansas' Educational Progress 2008, please visit http://www.ed.gov/nclb/accountability/results/progress/ar.html.

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

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