Putting teeth into No Child Left Behind in Pennsylvania

 Pennsylvania Secretary of Education Gerald L. Zahorchak wants schools to know that when their leaders fail, a state takeover is still an option. "There are a couple of blinking lights that are blinking very brightly. There are a couple of districts that have given me enough concern," he said. "We're real serious right now. So it won't take a lot of time."

Across the country, educators and policymakers are trying to determine how to give teeth to the No Child Left Behind Act. State takeovers and privatization are two of several specifically prescribed options for the worst-rated schools under the law, but school administrators most often use the law's freedoms to implement more gradual reforms.

Pennsylvania leaders say that has meant improved curriculum and better leadership at troubled schools statewide. But others across the country, including federal policymakers, are worrying that the law's freedoms just give failing schools a loophole to keep doing what they want without consequences. Read the article in The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review online.