No Child Left Behind's Case for School Report Cards
The No Child Left Behind law offers an unprecedented amount of data and information. For the first time, school districts must distribute a report card with information on every school's academic performance. To help parents make the most of their school report cards, Parent Leadership Associates has released a four-page guide, Eight Tips on Using Your School's Report Card.
Make sure the report has the required information. No Child Left Behind requires academic performance to be broken down by student groups—race, gender, low-income students, English language learners, and students with disabilities.
Use the information provided on the report card to identify the strengths and weaknesses of your school. Keep asking questions. What is being done to improve the weaknesses addressed? What schools are doing better and what can we learn from them?
Get involved. Schools need dedicated parents to help them improve student achievement.
"The information released by school districts under No Child Left Behind is an opportunity for parents to get a more complete picture of their school," said Adam Kernan-Schloss, president of KSA-Plus Communications and co-founder of Parent Leadership Associates.#