Many are finding resolutions short of such drastic measures. But there is growing concern that the number of schools in serious trouble under the No Child Left Behind law is rising sharply - up 44 percent over the past year alone - and is expected to swell by thousands in the next few years.
Schools make the list by falling short in math or reading for at least five straight years. Only a handful of schools in Utah have been under NCLB requirements for five years, with many Title I schools joining in 2001, said Patti Harrington, state schools superintendent. She did not know which Utah school made the list, and attempts to reach Judy Park, state director of assessment were unsuccessful late Tuesday.
Regardless, Harrington said the state is working to address all NCLB-related deficiencies in Utah schools. A total of 13 schools face some sort of sanctions for failing to be in full compliance with the law for two consecutive years.
Utah also continues to work to persuade the U.S. Department of Education to accept the state's own method for determining student success, which Utah educators believe is more realistic and productive than NCLB.
In perspective, the national total amounts to 3 percent of roughly 53,000 schools that get federal poverty aid and face penalties under the No Child Left Behind law.
''It's just a matter of time before we see upwards of 10,000 schools in restructuring,'' said Michael Petrilli, a former enforcement official at the Education Department.
''Unless all of these schools suddenly turn themselves around, or the states continue to find ways to finagle the system, you're going to see the numbers accelerate,'' said Petrilli, now vice president for policy at the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, a school change advocate.
The Associated Press reported last month that schools were deliberately not counting the test scores of nearly 2 million students, mostly minorities, when they measure progress by racial groups. Those exclusions have made it easier for schools to meet their yearly goals.
Still, more than a quarter of the nation's schools have failed to make adequate yearly progress for at least one year.
