Lawmakers Question Whether NCLB Overhaul Addresses Issues Faced By Rural Schools.

    The New York Times (3/18, Dillon) reports, "Lawmakers who represent rural areas told Secretary of Education Arne Duncan in a hearing Wednesday that [NCLB], as well as the Obama administration's blueprint for overhauling it, failed to take sufficiently into account the problems of rural schools, and their nine million students. ... In his testimony before the" Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee, Duncan "argued that the administration's blueprint would solve some problems for rural schools, including one related to the No Child law's teacher-quality provisions."

        The Washington Post (3/18, Anderson) reports, "Senate Republicans raised questions Wednesday about whether President Obama's plan to turn around struggling schools would fly in rural America. ... But for the most part, Education Secretary Arne Duncan drew a positive reception from key lawmakers as he began pitching the administration's blueprint to rewrite" NCLB.

        Obama Administration Urged Not To Lower NCLB Accountability Mandates. The New York Times (3/18, A30) editorializes, "President Obama's blueprint for reworking [NCLB] has good ideas, but it doesn't have anything close to the rigor that the word 'blueprint' would suggest. Whether the president's plan will strengthen or weaken the program will depend on how the administration fleshes out the missing details - and how Congress rewrites the law." According to the Times, "Teachers' unions, state governments and other interest groups have long wanted to water down or kill off the provision of the law that requires the states to raise student performance - especially for poor and minority children - in exchange for federal money," and "Congress must resist" these efforts.

        NLCB Overhaul Seen As Opportunity For Bipartisan Cooperation. Time (3/17, Altman) reported, "When the bare-knuckled brawl over healthcare reform finally wraps up, and the Obama Administration pivots to less divisive topics, education reform may be one of the few issues capable of drawing bipartisan support. The Obama Administration's proposed overhaul of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) could resonate with Republicans, many of whom have been disappointed with the results of George W. Bush's signature education initiative." According to Time, "Obama's blueprint, which was sent to Congress March 15, sets forth an ambitious national standard -that by 2020, all students graduate high school ready for college or a career - but leaves the specifics on how to achieve this goal up to state and local authorities."