Contact: Mary Stanik, PEN Communications, 202-628-7460 x258, MStanik@PublicEducation.org

WASHINGTON, July 26 /Standard Newswire/ -- Americans believe public schools must be held accountable for properly educating children and give the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) high marks for its goals, but also think NCLB needs dramatic changes, according to results from three years of nationwide hearings held by Public Education Network (PEN).

The results were released by PEN today in the report "Open to the Public: How Communities, Parents and Students Assess the Impact of the No Child Left Behind Act, 2004-2007. The Realities Left Behind."

"Accountability for educating all children to their full potential is essential, but this particular goal of the No Child Left Behind Act cannot be achieved unless policymakers address fundamental issues of resources, capacities and will within the public education system," said Wendy D. Puriefoy, president and CEO of Public Education Network, a nationwide network of 82 local education funds dedicated to improving public education for all children, especially those from poor and disadvantaged backgrounds. "NCLB must have a more compelling vision, strong policies to support it, and greater public engagement. Its fatal flaw could be that it has left crucial realities behind."

PEN heard opinions from more than 2,000 people during the course of 25 hearings, focus groups and town hall meetings organized by PEN's local education fund members in 10 states between 2004 and 2007. More than 20,000 people submitted views via online surveys. Based on the views expressed at the hearings, PEN has made the following recommendations for NCLB's re-authorization:

• Retain the act's emphasis on highly qualified teachers but provide resources required to help teachers become more effective in data - and student-focused school environments. Congress should not implement policies that lead to barriers in retaining high quality teachers. It also should make certain talented new teachers are encouraged to enter the profession.

• Schools need a student-focused, comprehensive accountability system that rewards progress and encourages continuous improvement.

• Improve the use of data and analysis to make teaching and learning more meaningful.

• Expand the opportunity for shared accountability by including the community as partners.

• Strengthen the parental involvement provisions.

• Increase capacity at the state and local level to provide school and student supports in implementing NCLB, especially for low-performing schools or schools in need of corrective action.

• Increase federal support and leadership in research and identification of best practices. Increase allowances for local flexibility that recognizes community and student differences, parental and community engagement, and building a national system of incentives to attract the best teachers to the most difficult schools.

• Institute an accountability system that is research-based and focused on incentives.

• Fully fund any re-authorized act.

During the course of the hearings, PEN also deduced the following five "realities" of NCLB from hearing participants:

• The act has been imposed on a public school system that remains unequal.

• NCLB rests upon a faulty measurement capacity.

• The foundation for "highly qualified" teachers relies on qualities that ought to be present in the early selection, preparation and recruitment of teachers. Instead, such criteria rarely affect those who are selected to teach.

• The act pays considerable lip service to parental involvement. In reality, parents and communities are almost shut out of the reform process.

• Not only does NCLB ignore the role of communities in achieving its goals, it seriously undermines the capacity of communities to be part of the solution for low-performing schools.

"Over three years, and at every hearing site, the public supported the goals of NCLB. However, until the act addresses the realities of inequities, limited expectations of student and teacher capacities, and the isolation of parents and communities from school reforms, it will engender more rhetoric than real difference in the success of all students," said Puriefoy. "The public voice must be part of the process used by policymakers if they want to be trusted on behalf of the nation's children."

PEN's hearings, focus groups, and town hall meetings were held in urban and rural communities in: California, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Texas.

The complete report is available at: http://www.PublicEducation.org

Public Education Network (PEN) is a national organization of local education funds (LEFs) and individuals working to build public demand and mobilize resources for quality public education in low-income communities across the nation. PEN believes that public education is the cornerstone of our democratic way of life. PEN seeks to strengthen public education, and opposes policies and practices that detract from high academic achievement for all children. PEN and its 79 members work in 33 states and the District of Columbia, in nearly 1,600 school districts serving more than 11 million children or approximately 22 percent of the nation's public school population. PEN recently launched a national campaign entitled "Give Kids Good Schools" to guarantee a quality public education for every child in the U.S. The campaign urges Americans to use their voices and their votes on behalf of public education. For more information about the campaign and PEN, visit: http://www.PublicEducation.org.