Press Release March 27, 2007

HEADLINE: Houston Hearing on No Child Left Behind Gatheres Input for U.S. Congress

On March 27, 2007, Houston A+ Challenge convened more than 250 parents, students, educators, business leaders and community members for a statewide public hearing on No Child Left Behind (NCLB).

The landmark federal education law expires in September, so the U.S. Congress is currently discussing reauthorization -- that is, which parts of the law to change, and which to keep the same.

Houston A+ Challenge documented opinions and suggestions from the three-hour Houston hearing through facilitated table discussions, report-outs to the entire audience, and individual interviews conducted in our video booth.

The following day, Wendy Puriefoy of the Public Education Network testified before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and delivered a synopsis of feedback from across the country to Washington lawmakers.

These key observations and recommendations from the Houston hearing were submitted to U.S. Senators by PEN on March 28, 2007:

- TEACHER QUALITY
- TESTING AND ACCOUNTABILITY
- COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
- INTERVENTIONS FOR LOW PERFORMANCE