Governor Craig Benson has let a strict new accountability measure for public schools become law without his signature. Benson today / yesterday admitted he has reservations about penalizing schools for poor performance. The Governor also criticized the federal No Child Left Behind Act. New Hampshire Public Radio’s Josh Rogers reports.
Governor Benson says he did not sign the accountability measure because he believes all education policy – be it state or federal – should be driven by what he called the carrot and not the stick.
Benson says the state and national accountability provisions are both far too punitive to win his unequivocal support.
“There’s a lot of talk about No child left behind penalizing people very strongly including the take over of schools taking over schools and things like this….The wording of that bill plays right into that stereotype and I don’t want to promote an attitude that says we will penalize those who don’t meet up to expectations…..and I think that’s scary for people and I think it’s a problem for getting things going in the right direction.”
The Governor’s concerns came as a surprise to leading educational policymakers.
I have not heard this from the governor…….
Republican Jane O’Hearn chairs the State’s senate’s education committee and is the accountability bill’s lead sponsor. She says neither the governor nor his policy advisors participated in discussions about the accountability measure. Had they, O’Hearn, says they might have a more thorough understanding of why she says the bill is necessary. O’Hearn says the state supreme court requires a school accountability system…and so does the new federal education law – no child left behind.
we have to have an accountability piece that does not allow schools to fail and do absolutely nothing about that.
The federal law requires the state’s to have an accountability law that includes consequences for failing schools…….Most of those land on schools that receive federal aid…If they fall short on statewide tests…..they can lose control over those federal dollars. If schools fail year after year the state could insist that entire staff be fired.…..But according to education Commissioner Nick Donohue…….that extreme possibility should not define the law.
Oc Any kind of intervention
Critics of no child left behind say the dispute among top policymakers only prove what they have been saying all along. Mark Joyce is with the NH school administrators association.
Oc ……and imposing unsound practices in our schools.
The state has already identified about a dozen schools that will likely face sanctions under no child left behind starting in September……State policy makers will be working to refine the law…..in the coming months.
