No Child Left Behind

Education Groups Urge Congress To Reauthorize ESEA. Education Week (9/30) reports “the leadership drama in Congress may be taking up a lot of political oxygen, but 10 education groups don’t want lawmakers to take their eye off reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.” In a letter addressed to Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., and Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va, “those groups, including the two national teachers’ unions and the organization representing state schools chiefs, said that there’s huge demand for them to put the final touches on legislation that would renew the ESEA.” Further, they also stressed “the importance of preserving the federal education law’s focus on low-income students, equity, and high-quality education for all students.”         Civil Rights Groups Say No Child Left Behind Needs More Accountability. Education Week (9/30, Klein) reports “No Child Left Behind conference negotiations are expected to kick off in earnest this fall,” and a main topic of discussion will be “accountability, particularly for poor students, students of color, and special populations of children.” According to the Obama Administration, “neither the Republican-only House bill, nor the Senate’s bipartisan bill goes far enough in calling for states to hold schools accountable for the progress of long-overlooked students.” That view is also held by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, which “has teamed up with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)” to run radio ads in key districts.         Governors Want A Bill Too. US News & World Report (9/29, Camera) reports the National Governors Association is also urging Congress “to complete its work to overhaul the Elementary and Secondary Education Act – commonly known as No Child Left Behind in its latest iteration – and get a conferenced bill to the president’s desk by the end of this year.” In a letter to Congress, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, chairman of the NGA’s Education and Workforce Committee, said, “Governors have long called for the bipartisan reauthorization of ESEA to restore the state-federal partnership. We stand ready to work with Congress to complete ESEA reauthorization this year and move on to a state-led law that places every child on a path to success.”