Category Archives: No Child Left Behind (NCLB)

Selling the NCLB Act Rewrite to Conservatives – Education Week

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By Alyson Klein

Now that a new version of the No Child Left Behind Act looks headed to the House floor next week, the bill’s sponsors, U.S. Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., and Rep. Todd Rokita, R-Ind., are in full-on member-education mode, meeting with rank-and-file Republicans who may not be familiar with the key pieces of the bill—and may have campaigned on dismantling the U.S. Department of Education, which the bill wouldn’t do. (Want to see what kind of material they are distributing? You can find all the messaging right here.)

via Selling the NCLB Act Rewrite to Conservatives – Politics K-12 – Education Week.

What to Watch in House No Child Left Behind Renewal Debate – Education Week

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By Alyson Klein

The House of Representatives is slated to consider a Republican bill to renew the Elementary and Secondary Education Act very soon. At the moment, it appears likely to go to the House floor next Thursday or Friday, but things can change very, very quickly on Capitol Hill when it comes to scheduling, so don’t bet the bank (or maybe even your Metro fare) on that timeline.

Even though no one expects Congress to complete reauthorization of the law this year, the House vote will be an important dry run … and it’s the first time that a bill to reauthorize ESEA has made it to the floor of either chamber since 2001. Here’s a preliminary list of what to watch for:

via What to Watch in House No Child Left Behind Renewal Debate – Politics K-12 – Education Week.

CORE Districts Expect NCLB Waiver Approval in Time for 2013-14 – Education Week

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By Michele McNeil

It looks like July 1 will come and go without the answer California’s CORE districts wanted on their request for a precedent-setting waiver under the No Child Left Behind Act.

But, it seems that these nine districts are proceeding as if they will get their flexibility.

CORE Districts Expect NCLB Waiver Approval in Time for 2013-14 – Politics K-12 – Education Week.

House Committee Passes Partisan NCLB Renewal Bill – Education Week

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By Alyson Klein

Another markup of the Elementary and Secondary Education, another totally predictable partisan vote.

Last week, the Senate education committee passed an ESEA bill with just Democratic support. This time, it was the House Education panel’s turn to consider a bill to revise the No Child Left Behind Act.

Everyone agrees the law is in desperate need of a makeover, but partisan divisions continue to get in the way. And today’s debate on the bill, which was written by Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., the chairman of the committee, was no exception.

House Committee Passes Partisan NCLB Renewal Bill – Politics K-12 – Education Week.

Could Conservative Criticism Create Hurdles for NCLB Renewal? – Education Week

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By Alyson Klein

The Obama administration’s Race to the Top would be history, there would be no federal role in school improvement, and the number of education programs would be significantly curtailed under a bill reauthorizing the No Child Left Behind Act slated for consideration by the House education committee this week.

But for some conservatives that may go far enough.

Could Conservative Criticism Create Hurdles for NCLB Renewal? – Politics K-12 – Education Week.

Five Questions as NCLB Reauthorization Moves Forward – Education Week

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By Alyson Klein

Well, forwardish. There’s going to be a lot more action in Congress this year than we’ve seen at any time since way back in 2001, when the No Child Left Behind Act passed and George W. Bush was president and “Friends” was the hottest sitcom and no one was tweeting NCLB markups because Twitter wouldn’t be invented for five more years.

Of course, all this action action probably won’t result in a brand new version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act this year, but it will set the stage for whatever comes next.

Five Questions as NCLB Reauthorization Moves Forward – Politics K-12 – Education Week.

Education Week: Kline and House Republicans Release NCLB Renewal Bill

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by Alyson Klein

UPDATED

And now there are three bills to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, a.k.a. No Child Left Behind. Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., the chairman of the House education committee, dropped his ESEA renewal measure today, just days after the Senate Democrats, and hours after the Senate Republicans.

If you were around back in 2012 and took a look at the bill that was approved on a totally party-line vote by Kline’s committee, you’ve seen this bill, pretty much. There are a couple of minor tweaks, including a requirement that states develop science standards, as they must under current law. And states would be allowed to use Title II teacher-quality money for principal evaluations.

via Kline and House Republicans Release NCLB Renewal Bill.

Education Week: Alexander, Senate Republicans Introduce Own NCLB Bill

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by Alyson Klein

Earlier this week, Senate Democrats—lead by Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa, the chairman of the education committee—introduced their bill to renew the No Child Left Behind Act. And now Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee and other Republicans have released their vision.

The upshot? Both parties move away from the strong federal accountability system at the center of the much-maligned NCLB law, but to different degrees.

via Alexander, Senate Republicans Introduce Own NCLB Bill.

Education Week: How Would the New NCLB Reauthorization Bill Affect School Climate?

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by Ross Brenneman

UPDATED

Our best political experts here at Education Week give bipartisan reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act slim odds of passing this year. (Roughly speaking, none, with a margin of error of +/-0.) But Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and his fellow Democrats have a new NCLB reauthorization bill, and it would do a lot with school climate.

Alyson Klein, over at Politics K-12, gives the full rundown. The first major change is that it would no longer be called No Child Left Behind. It’s called the Strengthening America’s Schools Act. (So now its critics can start using the phrase “SASAfrass.” You’re welcome.)

via How Would the New NCLB Reauthorization Bill Affect School Climate?.

Education Week: Proposed No Child Left Behind Rewrite Would Protect LGBT Students

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by Nirvi Shah

In addition to promoting changes to school discipline policies and requiring reporting about teen pregnancy rates in the latest proposal to overhaul No Child Left Behind, the bill would protect students who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender from bullying at school.

The proposal from Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, incorporates language from Minnesota Democrat Sen. Al Franken’s Student Nondiscrimination Act. (Read about how academic requirements and report cards for schools would work in my colleague Alyson Klein’s post on the Politics K-12 blog.)

via Proposed No Child Left Behind Rewrite Would Protect LGBT Students.

Education Week: Senate Democrats to Unveil NCLB Reauthorization Bill

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by Alyson Klein

UPDATED

U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, the chairman of the Senate education committee, is set to unveil a bill to reauthorize the No Child Left Behind Act that would require states to set achievement and growth targets for students, including subgroup students. The proposal, which faces steep political hurdles, mirrors the Obama administration’s NCLB waiver system but is a marked departure from the bipartisan measure that was approved by the education committee back in 2012.

All eleven other Democrats on the committee have signed onto the legislation, but the bill has no Republican sponsor, and it seems unlikely to garner GOP support, given that it outlines a more robust role for the federal government than the 2011 measure, which got the support of just three (relatively reluctant) Republicans.

via Senate Democrats to Unveil NCLB Reauthorization Bill.

EdSource Today: Nine districts resubmit ‘stronger’ application for NCLB waiver

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Nine California districts resubmitted their application Tuesday for a waiver from key provisions and sanctions of the No Child Left Behind law after spending weeks revising the application in response to dozens of questions by a panel of reviewers from the U.S. Department of Education.

If approved, the application by members of the umbrella organization California Office to Reform Education, or CORE, would be a first. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has approved waivers for 37 states with eight more states under review. This would be the only waiver granted to a group of districts, albeit one serving more a million students, and the approach, based on collaboration among teachers and districts and an accountability system deemphasizing standardized test scores, would be distinct. The CORE applicants include some of the state’s largest unified districts – Los Angeles, Long Beach, Fresno, San Francisco, Sacramento City and Santa Ana – along with Clovis, Sanger and Oakland.

via Nine districts resubmit ‘stronger’ application for NCLB waiver – by John Fensterwald.

EdSource Today: California forgoes second NCLB waiver request

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by Kathryn Baron

California has decided not to try again for a waiver from some key provisions of No Child Left Behind, at least not for the next school year.  Instead, state education officials told the U.S. Department of Education that California would instead focus its efforts next year on implementing the Common Core State Standards, federal and state officials said Monday.

Federal education officials also said that they will continue to consider the waiver application from a group of nine of the state’s largest school districts known as the California Office to Reform Education, or CORE.

via California forgoes second NCLB waiver request – by Kathryn Baron.

Education Week: House Education Panel Discusses NCLB Renewal

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by Alyson Klein

Will this finally be the year that Congress actually reauthorizes the No Child Left Behind Act, which has been awaiting renewal for more than six years? Most folks aren’t expecting that to happen, given how difficult it is to get anything done in Congress these days. But it sounds like lawmakers on the House education committee are going to give it a shot, even though the partisan divisions that doomed the last attempt at a renewal don’t seem to be going away anytime soon.

At a hearing today, U.S. Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., the chairman of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, reiterated his criticism of the administration’s plan for renewing the NCLB law, a system of waivers, which so far have been offered given to more than 30 states.

via House Education Panel Discusses NCLB Renewal.

Education Week: CORE Districts to Make Big Changes to Try to Win NCLB Waiver

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by Michele McNeil

The nine California districts seeking their own version of a No Child Left Behind Act waiver plan to make significant changes to their request to increase their odds of winning this flexibility.

Armed with feedback from the U.S. Department of Education’s outside peer reviewers, the districts say they will no longer only factor in test scores of the last grade in each school for accountability purposes. This was one of the more radical ideas in the proposal submitted by these “CORE” districts, which stands for California Office to Reform Education. The districts include Fresno, Los Angeles, and Sacremento.

via CORE Districts to Make Big Changes to Try to Win NCLB Waiver.

EdSource Today: Duncan says it’s still possible for state to get NCLB waiver

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California remains interested in receiving a waiver from sanctions under the No Child Left Behind law, and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said Wednesday it remains possible for the state to get one. But, Duncan said in an interview after an event in Sunnyvale, “It’s late in the game” to apply for a state waiver to take effect this fall. (Go here for the transcript of the interview.)

Duncan wasn’t more forthcoming about a deadline or the odds that the state would get a waiver, but he was clear about leaving the door open for California – one of only a half-dozen states without an application either approved or pending in Washington.

via Duncan says it’s still possible for state to get NCLB waiver – by John Fensterwald.

EdSource Today: Washington and Sacramento must end Cold War on education

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Some high level diplomacy is called for to end the Cold War between Sacramento and Washington that has frozen out the state from benefiting from the major education initiatives of President Obama’s education reform agenda.

The administration has awarded 34 states and the District of Columbia waivers from onerous provisions of the federal No Child Left Behind legislation signed into law a decade ago by Obama’s predecessor.

But the administration has rejected California’s request for a waiver from the law – the same one that President Barack Obama has criticized during most of the time he has been in office.

via Washington and Sacramento must end Cold War on education – by Louis Freedberg.

EdSource Today: Advocacy groups urge rejection of NCLB waiver for California districts

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Seven advocacy and civil rights organizations, led by Washington-based The Education Trust, have called on Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to deny nine California districts a waiver from the No Child Left Behind law, saying any deviation from a statewide waiver “would be the wrong path forward.”

“Instead, we urge California’s district and state leaders to work together on a strong statewide application. And we urge the U.S. Department of Education to stand firm, both in its commitment to equity and its commitment to statewide accountability systems,” the organizations state in a letter sent to Duncan on Monday.

via Advocacy groups urge rejection of NCLB waiver for California districts – by John Fensterwald.

EdSource Today: U.S. Ed Department agrees to review 9 districts’ plan for NCLB waiver

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The nine California districts seeking a waiver from the federal No Child Left Behind Law have got their foot in the door. On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Education announced that it has accepted their waiver application and will treat it as they would an application from other states, with a formal review.

via U.S. Ed Department agrees to review 9 districts’ plan for NCLB waiver – by John Fensterwald.

Education Week: The Precedent for NCLB District Waivers

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by Michele McNeil

State education officials in California have offered a tepid blessing of the No Child Left Behind waiver application that a group of nine districts have submitted to the U.S. Department of Education.

In a March 22 letter to federal officials, Tom Torlakson (the state chief) and Michael Kirst (the board president) said the California Board of Education “expressed enthusiasm” for the waiver.

via The Precedent for NCLB District Waivers.