"No child left behind" will be reevaluated for reauthorization in 2007.
A couple of different views/comments below:
The following statements are not my personal statements and/or views and should be used solely for informational purposes only.
Focus on the happy:
Tuesday’s midterm elections resulted in major victories for quality public
education, with voters electing pro-public education governors and members of
Congress in key states and Democrats taking control of the House of
Representatives. There could be a power shift in the Senate as well, as
America awaits results in Virginia.
"This is a victory for children and public education. I'm hopeful
that this shift results in resources for children, respect for education
employees and a renewed sense of responsibility by all," said Reg Weaver,
National Education Association president. "The victories last night mark a
critical change in course. Now the task is to make sure lawmakers make good
on campaign promises. There must be accountability."
NEA's 3.2 million members took an active role in many Congressional
campaigns by supporting Democratic and Republican candidates around the country
who advocated positive public education agendas. The Association supports
candidates based on their commitment to quality public schools, not party
affiliations....
After a laundry list of results, the statement continues with:
Even with these key political victories, and many others last night,
advocating for quality public schools will require careful political navigation,
Weaver said. The Bush administration has pledged to continue pushing the
fundamentally flawed No Child Left Behind Act, which is under funded by about $40 billion and up for reauthorization next year.
"Voters made it clear on Tuesday that public education is a national
priority that lawmakers have a duty to address," Weaver said. "We must remain
vigilant long after the elections if we are to protect the basic right of every
child to a quality public education." (www.eiaonline.com)
"No Child Left Behind ... is a giraffe with an elephant's body. ... You can't take the vision of Ted Kennedy and merge it to the public policy of George Bush and come out with anything that works."
-- Steve Rauschenberger, Illinois State Senator, interview, September 4, 2003
Education Establishment Discovers Tenth Amendment. Reporting from the floor of the NEA convention on July 3, 2003, EIA stated, “The fact is, NCLB is a federal power grab. But it’s the first federal power grab NEA has ever found reason to oppose.” Union officials are not alone in decrying the mandates of the No Child Left Behind Act. They have been joined by a number of administrators, legislators and governors.
Those of us who are of the libertarian persuasion quietly note that the federal government has no constitutional authority over public education policy. Therefore, Washington has to buy its authority – in the case of NCLB – with Title I money. If states want the money, they have to accept the mandates. So we are confused by those NCLB opponents who claim the federal law is costing them money. They say the cost of the mandates exceeds the funding.
The unions’ default reaction to such a condition is to demand more funding. But more and more districts and states are considering the alternative: reject the mandates and turn down the funding. Federal money usually trumps the principle of local control in most aspects of government policy. But if NCLB truly costs more than it provides, why participate?
It’s only fitting in a year when an Austrian bodybuilder becomes governor of California that an expansion of federal power by a conservative Republican administration would lead to an embrace of states’ rights by liberal Democrats.
