Federal

A Rebellion Is Quelled

By Michelle R. Davis — June 13, 2006 2 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Nebraska’s state schools chief issued a rallying cry late last month to his colleagues in other states, urging them to join a rebellion against the U.S. Department of Education. But for now, at least, federal officials seem to have quelled the rising tide of complaints from state education leaders.

On May 22, Nebraska Commissioner of Education Douglas D. Christensen e-mailed the top education officials in at least 25 states, citing a “lack of partnership, flexibility, … and basic disregard for the work we have done as chiefs and as states to implement” the No Child Left Behind Act, the sweeping, 4-year-old federal education law.

“I’m not sure how each of you are being treated, but our experience is far from a partnership and far from professional,” Mr. Christensen wrote of his interaction with the federal Department of Education. “This is no way to run a ‘partnership,’ no way to get the job accomplished, and no way for state leaders to be treated.”

The e-mail asked the Council of Chief State School Officers, a Washington-based organization that represents the states’ top school leaders, to request a meeting with Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings and with President Bush.

While Ms. Spellings and Mr. Bush weren’t available for a sit-down conversation, members of the CCSSO’s board of directors and its staff members met last week with Deputy Secretary of Education Raymond J. Simon; the acting undersecretary, David L. Dunn; and Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education Henry L. Johnson, among other department staff members.

Valerie A. Woodruff, Delaware’s education secretary and the president of the CCSSO board, said the meeting was “very positive.”

“I think we’re going to be working together more closely on a positive path forward,” she said.

Ms. Woodruff said the call for the meeting was prompted by concerns from CCSSO members that the working relationship between state education chiefs and the federal department was “crumbling.”

She would not reveal details of the 90-minute June 6 meeting because, she said, she wanted to brief the CCSSO membership first. The topics covered, she said, included testing for special education students, the needs of English-language learners, and highly qualified teachers.

But Mr. Christensen said in an interview late last week that he continues to be “sick and tired of talking about the good intentions of NCLB when the reality is so far from that.”

A version of this article appeared in the June 14, 2006 edition of Education Week

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Science Webinar
Making Science Stick: The Engaging Power of Hands-On Learning
How can you make science class the highlight of your students’ day while
achieving learning outcomes? Find out in this session.
Content provided by LEGO Education
Teaching Profession Webinar Key Insights to Elevate and Inspire Today’s Teachers
Join this free half day virtual event to energize your teaching and cultivate a positive learning experience for students.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Student Achievement Webinar
Student Success Strategies: Flexibility, Recovery & More
Join us for Student Success Strategies to explore flexibility, credit recovery & more. Learn how districts keep students on track.
Content provided by Pearson

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Federal Democrats to DOGE: Explain Education Spending Cuts
Members of Congress are demanding basic details on aggressive cost-cutting efforts carried out by billionaire Elon Musk's DOGE team.
4 min read
Illustration of a hand squeezing the dollar sign with coins flowing out of the bottom of the dollar sign.
iStock/Getty
Federal Opinion Arne Duncan and John King: Musk and Trump Are at War With Public Education
Two former ed. secretaries explain what’s at stake in dismantling the U.S. Department of Education.
Arne Duncan & John B. King Jr.
4 min read
Photo collaged image of the U.S. Department of Education shattering.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + AP + Getty
Federal Trump Admin. Warns Schools: End Race-Based Programs or Risk Losing Funds
A sweeping new letter from the Education Department says schools and universities should stop using race as a factor in programming.
6 min read
budget school funding
iStock/Getty
Federal Trump Shakeup Stops Most Work at Education Department's Civil Rights Office
President Donald Trump is downsizing a federal office that he's also using to carry out his policy agenda for schools.
9 min read
President Donald Trump listens as Elon Musk speaks in the Oval Office at the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Washington.
President Donald Trump listens as Elon Musk speaks in the Oval Office at the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Washington. The department's office for civil rights, which enforces federal civil rights laws in schools, has been hamstrung by the Trump administration's goal of shrinking the agency.
Alex Brandon/AP