U.S. Department of Education officials are revisiting North Dakota later this month to try and smooth things over with state education officials, including the state's governor. Officials there got mighty angry during last month's official monitoring visit when, according to state officials, the feds dropped a bomb. The federal monitoring team indicated that the state's definition of a highly qualified elementary teacher wasn't up to snuff since teachers without any content training but only a degree in elementary ed were being declared highly qualified (TQB January 10th, 2005).

What is the Roughrider State doing so wrong that they are getting singled out?

First of all it's not clear yet that they are being singled out. Exhibiting a burst of energy on the teacher front, the Department is visiting all 50 states at a rate of one a week, but it has only released three of its official monitoring reports. North Dakota's is not among them. Not waiting for the report, North Dakota appears to have launched a preemptive strike on the feds, fanning the flames with its teachers by such moves as sending them all a letter on Christmas Eve letting them know that the US government did not consider them qualified to teach.

Second of all, it's hard to argue that North Dakota was ever taking NCLB seriously. In fact, it doesn't appear that North Dakota officials are defending their bogus definition as much as they are crying foul over the feds leading them to believe they could get away with it. "For state officials to be informed of this determination just 18 months short of the 2005-2006 deadline is completely unacceptable," wrote two North Dakota congressmen. Despite these harsh words, state officials appear optimistic that they will get their way at the end of the month. "The dialogue has been very positive," said Bill Goetz, the governor's chief of staff. "We will discuss the issues and reconcile in a positive way the fact that our elementary teachers are qualified."

Another state that's gotten wind of negative findings--but also no official word--is Utah. Joan D. Patterson, the coordinator of educator licensing in the Utah education department challenges- "I'd like my [U.S.] senators and representatives to look my deans of education dead in the eyes and say, 'Your programs are insufficient.'" It appears, Ms. Patterson, that the US Congress already did.