FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, July 3, 2008

Isakson Praises Decision to Give Georgia Flexibility under No Child Left Behind
Will Result in Federally-Funded Tutoring for More Georgia Students

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., today praised the decision by the U.S. Department of Education to give Georgia flexibility in administering No Child Left Behind. The decision will allow the state to give more students the opportunity to receive federally-funded tutoring.

“As one of the authors of No Child Left Behind law, I have a vested interest in this legislation and its impact on our nation’s education system,” Isakson said. “ I believe it is important to give states like Georgia, who have demonstrated a commitment to the principles in No Child Left Behind, the flexibility to provide schools with the resources they need to improve.”

The Department of Education has authorized the use of pilot programs aimed at helping states differentiate between underperforming schools in need of extreme intervention and schools that are closer to meeting the goals of No Child Left Behind. Georgia, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland and Ohio are the only states whose programs were approved.

Under Georgia’s program, school systems will have the option of offering free tutoring to students as soon as a school makes the "needs improvement" list. The systems can then offer public school choice to students at schools that make the "needs improvement" list for a second year. Previously, schools had been required to offer school choice as soon as they made the "needs improvement" list.

After their third year on the "needs improvement" list, schools will be broken into three tiers based on academic achievement. Schools in the top two tiers will chose from a list of corrective actions. The state will choose the required actions for schools in the lowest performing group. After five years on the "needs improvement" list, the Georgia Department of Education will assign a full-time state monitor to individual schools.

When Isakson served in the U.S. House, he was one of a handful of lawmakers invited by President Bush in 2000 to help write the No Child Left Behind legislation. Isakson is now a member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, which has jurisdiction over education issues including the No Child Left Behind reauthorization.

In 1996, Isakson was tapped by then-Gov. Zell Miller to lead the Georgia Board of Education. Isakson served in that role until he won a special election for the U.S. House in 1999.

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