§ 21-N:1 — Findings; Policy Statement

I. The general court finds that the students, parents, general citizenry, local school teachers and administrators, local governments, local school boards, school administrative units, and state government have a joint and shared responsibility for the quality of education delivered through the public education system in the state of New Hampshire.
II. In order to provide general guidance to the state department of education established by this chapter, the general court declares the following to be the policy of the state of New Hampshire:
(a) The department shall have the dual role of providing regulatory direction and instructional assistance to public elementary and secondary schools.
(b) The department shall be mindful of the need to balance these dual roles so that they are given equal consideration in planning department activities and expenditures and so that the consequences and implications of regulatory decisions are fully considered in light of the need to provide services to assist the local schools in complying with such regulatory direction.
(c) The paramount goal of the state shall be to provide an adequate education for all school-age children in the state, consistent with RSA 193-E.
(d) The department shall continually strive to develop creative and innovative methods to assist local schools to achieve the highest possible degree of effective educational programming and teaching techniques.
(e) In accordance with RSA 193-E, the department shall work to establish credible processes for measuring and rating schools.

Legislative History

1986, 41:1. 1996, 271:1. 1998, 389:5, 6. 2005, 257:15. 2007, 270:3, eff. June 29, 2007.