Utah has upped the ante in its effort to force changes in the federal No Child Left Behind Act. The state's top education official wants to add language to the law that would give more money to some Utah districts. State Schools Superintendent Patti Harrington has asked Utah's congressional delegation to demand revisions when Congress reauthorizes the act, which could happen as soon as January. On Nov. 14, she sent them a letter detailing Utah's strongly worded position. It rails against the act and calls for several changes. Specifically, she urges Utah's delegation to amend a portion of the law that provides impact aid to school districts that lose money because of federal assets. She wants an amendment that would pay a district if more than 50 percent of its area is federal land, which limits property tax revenue. Harrington also proposed language that, "limits the role of the U.S. Department of Education to research and dissemination," and "fully restores control of public education to the states."

- Nicole Stricker