Federal Federal File

Lawmakers Worry Struggling Schools Lack NCLB Money

By David J. Hoff — March 28, 2008 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Includes updates and/or revisions.

Two senators with their hands on the K-12 purse strings want to make sure that the share of federal Title I money allotted to help struggling schools is spent well.

Citing a new report from the Government Accountability Office, Sens. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, and Arlen Specter, R-Pa., say they will be watching closely to make sure the Department of Education is monitoring how states spend the school improvement dollars available under the No Child Left Behind Act.

“It is critically important that the millions of dollars in federal funds going to school improvement be used as effectively as possible to ensure that our students, teachers, and communities continue to meet state academic goals,” Sen. Harkin said in a statement on the report, which the GAO released this week.

“Senator Harkin and I will continue to work with the Department of Education to ensure that No Child Left Behind’s monitoring process is effective and school improvement funds get to schools most in need of assistance,” Sen. Specter said in the same statement.

Sen. Harkin is the chairman of the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee. Sen. Specter is the panel’s senior Republican. The GAO conducted the research at their request.

See Also

For more stories on this topic see No Child Left Behind and our Federal News page.

The 6-year-old NCLB law requires states to reserve 4 percent of their grants from the law’s Title I program for disadvantaged students to help poor-performing schools under the NCLB law. In the 2008-09 school year, the money set aside would be $556 million. But states are prohibited from setting that money aside if it would result in districts’ losing money.

Because of that condition, 22 states were unable to spend 4 percent of their Title I grant helping turn around struggling schools, the GAO found in its review of state spending since 2002.

The researchers said the Education Department needs to review states’ spending when it monitors their implementation of Title I programs. Not all states followed the rules, they noted. Department officials said they would do so.

Events

School & District Management Webinar Crafting Outcomes-Based Contracts That Work for Everyone
Discover the power of outcomes-based contracts and how they can drive student achievement.
School & District Management Webinar EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?
What issues are keeping K-12 leaders up at night? Join us for EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?
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
Artificial Intelligence Webinar
Teaching Students to Use Artificial Intelligence Ethically
Ready to embrace AI in your classroom? Join our master class to learn how to use AI as a tool for learning, not a replacement.
Content provided by Solution Tree

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 A Bill to Kill the Education Department Is Already Filed. Here's What It Says
The bill represents another attempt at a long-term Republican goal.
6 min read
People walk outside the U.S Capitol building in Washington, June 9, 2022.
People walk outside the U.S Capitol building in Washington, June 9, 2022. Legislation has been introduced in the Senate to abolish the Department of Education.
Patrick Semansky/AP
Federal The K-12 World Reacts to Linda McMahon, Trump's Choice for Education Secretary
Some question her lack of experience in education, while supporters say her business background is a major asset.
7 min read
Linda McMahon, former Administrator of Small Business Administration, speaks during the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2024, in Milwaukee.
Linda McMahon speaks during the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2024, in Milwaukee. McMahon has been selected by President-elect Trump to serve as as the next secretary of education.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Federal What a National School Choice Program Under President Trump Might Look Like
School choice advocates—and detractors—see a second Trump term as the biggest opportunity in decades for choice at the federal level.
8 min read
President Donald Trump listens during a "National Dialogue on Safely Reopening America's Schools," event in the East Room of the White House, on July 7, 2020, in Washington.
President Donald Trump listens during a "National Dialogue on Safely Reopening America's Schools," event in the East Room of the White House on July 7, 2020, in Washington. He returns to power with more momentum than ever behind policies that allow public dollars to pay for private school education.
Alex Brandon/AP
Federal 5 Things to Know About Linda McMahon, Trump's Pick for Education Secretary
President-elect Donald Trump’s selection, the former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment has long spoken favorably about school choice.
7 min read
Small Business Administrator Linda McMahon speaks during a briefing at the White House in Washington on Oct. 3, 2018.
Linda McMahon speaks during a briefing at the White House in Washington on Oct. 3, 2018, when she was serving as head of the Small Business Administration during President Trump's first administration. McMahon is now President-elect Trump's choice for U.S. secretary of education.
Susan Walsh/AP