Susan Collins: “along with the senior Senator from Maine, Senator Snowe, I am today introducing the No Child Left Behind Flexibility and…”

“along with the senior Senator from Maine, Senator Snowe, I am today introducing the No Child Left Behind Flexibility and Improvements Act. Our legislation is designed to provide State and local decision makers with greater control options and flexibility in the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002. It would provide commonsense reforms in keeping with the worthy goals of this landmark law. Since the law's enactment in 2002, I have had the opportunity to meet with many educators, administrators, parents, and officials from my home State to discuss their concerns regarding the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act reform. In response to their concerns, Senator Snowe and I commissioned a Maine NCLB task force in March of last year. Our task force included members from every county in our State, and had superintendents, teachers, principals, school board members, parents, business leaders, former State legislators, special education specialists, assessment experts, officials from the Maine Department of Education, a former Maine commissioner of education and a dean from the University of Maine's College of Education and Human Development. In other words, it was a broad-based commission that brought a great deal of expertise, experience, and perspective to the task force's work. I am very grateful for their dedicated service and hard work.…”