MINNESOTA LAWMAKERS WANT NCLB TO BE HISTORY

Several Minnesota Republican lawmakers want this to be the year of no more No Child Left Behind. Princeton State Senator Betsy Wergin said the federal education program doesn't work and she wants Minnesota out of it. The program attempts to get students to perform better on tests and punishes schools when they don't. Wergin said Minnesota has tough education standards already and there are a lot of things about the federal program that don't work. The Princeton lawmaker said educators want to prepare students for work or college in relevant ways and too many times, No Child Left Behind doesn't allow that. Minnesota could lose $250-Million a year if it leaves NCLB behind. Wergin said the school administrators she's talked to think they would be better off and financially ahead without the federal money. Wergin and others intend to introduce legislation in this year's session to get the state out of the program.