FOR RELEASE                                                                       CONTACT:  Henry Duvall

February 13, 2007                                                                    (202) 393-2427

                                Statement of Michael Casserly, Executive Director,

 Council of the Great City Schools

  On the

   FINAL REPORT OF THE NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND COMMISSION

The Council of the Great City Schools welcomes the Report of the No Child Left Behind Commission, as congressional committees begin their inquiries into the operation, strengths, and weaknesses of this five-year old legislation.

The Council is encouraged that the Commission paid particular attention to instruction and improvement strategies that have proven successful in boosting student progress and closing achievement gaps.

The comprehensive nature of the Report will provide Congress and the broader education community with a thorough and thoughtful discussion of major issues in the NCLB reauthorization, rather than the piecemeal and anecdotal approach that often characterizes the discourse on the No Child Left Behind Act.

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(The Council of the Great City Schools is a coalition representing the nation’s largest urban public school systems.)