Usually, federal education officials create laws and policies that affect teachers, and then let them trickle down through the state to the classrooms.

But with so much misinformation among educators about the No Child Left Behind law, says U.S. Deputy Education Secretary Gene Hickok, the officials decided to go directly to teachers.

"This is really an extraordinary endeavor,'' Hickok, former Pennsylvania education secretary, said at a teacher workshop that ended yesterday at the Pittsburgh Hilton and Towers, Downtown. "Previously, the federal department spoke to the state departments.''

The three-day workshop was the third of seven that will be held around the country. The workshops, for about 200 teachers at each location, were so popular that they were filled within 11 days of their announcement, according to federal education officials. About 7,000 teachers across the country are on waiting lists.

Teachers came to Pittsburgh this week from more than 30 states to get a seat.

With the nation's largest teachers union, the National Education Association, considering a lawsuit against the federal government over No Child Left Behind, Hickok acknowledged that the law is sometimes seen as anti-teacher.

"It has stirred lots of emotion,'' he said. "It's hard to hear you need to do a better job.''

He said the law isn't intended as a criticism of anyone, but is intended to improve education for all children. "The law makes it impossible to close your eyes to the problem,'' he said.

The summer workshops are being led by teachers on such topics as reaching reluctant readers, teaching students with disabilities and using data and technology in schools.

The PowerPoint presentations from all of the sessions and streaming video from 10 presentations will be available online for professional development. In addition, the presentations will be offered through a satellite dish network.

There are no fees or lodging costs for the summer sessions; the government also is picking up the tab for all or most of the teachers' travel expenses.

No matter who is elected president in November, Hickok said, he believes that No Child Left Behind is here to stay.

"This isn't going away, this sense of accountability, every child counts, high expectations. This is part of the culture of American public education.''