State Teachers of the Year to reform NCLB.

WITH THE REAUTHORIZATION of the federal No Child Left Behind law looming ahead, the fifty teachers who were voted to be their respective state's teacher of the year for 2007 have united to establish a set of 10 recommendations for improving the controversial education initiative.

Thirty of the state teachers of the year discussed their proposed changes at a press conference in Washington, D.C., one day after President Bush honored the national Teacher of the Year, Andrea Paterson, from Washington state, at a White House ceremony. She was not present at the conference because the Council of Chief State School Officers, which sponsors the Teacher of the Year competition, disallowed it as an acceptable event.

The National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers have emphasized changes that align with the fifty teachers' recommendations--recasting the definition of a highly qualified teacher, demanding sound growth models that measure progress, and language that addresses the special needs of students with disabilities among them--but teachers said they feel compelled to speak out directly.

"Teachers need to be included in this reauthorization," said Madaline Fennell, the Nebraska teacher of the year. "Please, leave no teacher behind."