For some schools, mandate lacks bite
Morning Sentinel, September 23, 2006

(excerpt)Lawrence Junior High School found itself on the No Child Left Behind failure list for the fifth straight year this week, but that distinction has yet to result in any sanctions against the school.

Don't expect that situation to change either, according to a Department of Education worker involved with No Child Left Behind.

"The federal government requires a listing of the performance of all schools under No Child Left Behind," said Rachelle Tome, director of accountability and school improvement for Title I, "but the sanctions only apply to those schools that receive federal funding under Title I. (Title I is a program that provides federal funds for public schools aimed primarily at disadvantaged children.)

Lawrence Junior High School, which is part of School Administrative District 49, is hardly alone in this regard. Of the 23 middle schools that failed to achieve adequate yearly progress in the same subject for two years -- a group the state dubs Continuous Improvement Priority Schools -- only six are schools that receive funding through that federal program.

That means the state cannot send intervention teams, which are funded by Title I money, to 17 schools on the continuous improvement list, although Tome said education officials are happy to answer any questions those schools have in regard to No Child Left Behind compliance.

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