This week’s announcement of new “flexibilities” in the No Child Left Behind Act shouldn’t be interpreted as the federal government backing off the law, a high-ranking official with the U.S. Department of Education said Tuesday.

Brian Jones, general counsel for the department, said the government remained dedicated to the act despite the changes.

“The fundamental commitment to the goals of the No Child Left Behind Act remains very firm,” Jones said. “We want to be in a position where, around the country, achievement gaps are closing. That goal of the law stands very firm, and we’ve not sacrificed that one bit, by this movement toward more flexibility.”

Jones spoke during an interview with the Journal-World on Tuesday morning. He was in Lawrence for a meeting of the Brown v. Board of Education 50th Anniversary Commission.

Rod Paige, U.S. secretary of education, announced Monday that his department would back off several of its “highly qualified teacher” requirements. The new requirements:

• Give teachers who teach more than one subject in rural districts an extra year to demonstrate they’re qualified to teach in those areas.
• Allow teachers to be qualified in the “broad field” of science, instead of in specific areas such as physics, biology or chemistry.
• Allow states to determine whether current teachers are “highly qualified” without making them take a test.


Brian Jones, general counsel for the U.S Department of Education, defends changes to the No Child Left Behind Act. Jones, in Lawrence for the Brown v. Board Education 50th Anniversary Commission meeting, spoke with the Journal World Tuesday morning.

Jones said the flexibilities came after discussions with teachers and administrators across the country.

They came as welcome news to Steve Johnston, superintendent of the Perry-Lecompton school district. He said only a handful of his district’s teachers would require staff development to demonstrate proficiency in their subject areas, but the extra time to receive that development was a benefit.

“Any break we can get at this point is welcome,” Johnston said. “It’s a good indication that somebody has been listening to somebody, giving us that flexibility.”

Randy Weseman, superintendent of Lawrence public schools, said the “highly qualified teachers” clause didn’t affect Lawrence schools, mainly because the presence of Kansas University makes a larger pool of prospective teachers.

But he still had concerns about how the federal government would fund the mandates in the law, and how schools and districts would be measured in their improvements.

“I don’t like the idea of the federal government getting involved in this level of education,” Weseman said. “I believe in local control.”

But Jones defended the law’s purpose to ensure that every child succeeds.

“It’s a high standard the law sets, but I think if we’re not going to set a standard that 100 percent of our kids succeed, what’s the appropriate number?” Jones said. “Is it 95 percent that’s OK, or is 90 percent OK? Who decides what group of kids can be left behind?”