"NCLB Co-Author and Chair of US House of Representatives Education Committee, Congressman George Miller (D-CA), Visits Harlem Success Academy Charter School" 2, Mar. 2007.

Congressman George Miller (D-California), Chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, visited the Harlem Success Academy Charter School in New York City this morning.

As Congress prepares to reauthorize the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), Miller, a leader on education reform and 33-year member of the US House of Representatives Education Committee, has been meeting with experts around the country to gain feedback on how NCLB can be improved. The Congressman visited Harlem Success to see how the cutting-edge mechanisms of accountability developed by the promising new charter school can translate on a national level.

"As my colleagues and I work towards rewriting the No Child Left Behind Act, it is vital that we hear directly from students, parents, teachers, and administrators about what areas of the law are working well and what areas need improvement. Visiting schools across the country, like the Harlem Success Academy Charter School, is a critical part of this process. It is clear that the Harlem Success is making great strides toward boosting reading scores and improving accountability. I plan to take what I learned here today back to Washington," said Congressman Miller.

"A close attachment to data allows Harlem Success to target academic interventions with great precision," said Eva Moskowitz, the school's Executive Director, explaining one of the key ingredients behind the school's push to be held accountable for helping every child to succeed.

“Our data-driven instruction and accountability measures have helped us increase the number of Harlem Success first graders reading on grade level from 44% to 92% in just three months. How can schools, who don’t have data about student progress until months after the 3rd grade test, make strategic decisions about how to better educate their kids?” said Moskowitz.

The Congressman’s visit coincided with the release of the national report cards (or National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)), which show that a mere 35% of 12th graders are proficient in reading and 23% are proficient in math. Congressman Miller, whose efforts have been instrumental in exposing the need for student achievement gains, was impressed by how Harlem Success’ focus on data-driven instruction both gives teachers useful tools and provides administrators with an objective measure of teacher quality.

“NCLB has put a needed focus on raising student achievement and closing the achievement gap. During the reauthorization we need to give schools more tools and resources to collect the data they need in real-time to deploy targeted interventions the way Harlem Success and many other successful schools around the country are doing. I am honored to have Congressman Miller here today and hope that some of what we’re doing can inform his work in this important area and serve as a model for other schools striving to meet NCLB,” said Moskowitz.