By Steve Bell
Kansas City, MO – A federal government report cites Missouri as perhaps the most lax in the nation at implementing sanctions for failure to meet No Child Left Behind goals. And according to the St. Louis Post Dispatch, one federal official hinted that many of 200 deficient Missouri schools could face punishment as severe as firings of principals and staff and complete reorganization. Assistant Missouri Commissioner of Education Stan Johnson said schools won't face sanctions that servere immediately, but there is concern for the future.
Stan Johnson: That usually takes some years to get to that level. The concern we have is with the Missouri standards that we implemented in the state as far as our definition of proficiency. Our standards are quite high.
Johnson predicts that more and more schools in all states will fail to achieve their goals in successive years. He blames the criticisms on differences in interpreting the law.