Education

Federal File

July 10, 2002 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Decoding ESEA

How easy things would have been if only Congress had handed out magic decoder rings when it passed the 1,100-page tome known as the “No Child Left Behind Act” of 2001.

Lacking such assistance, top brass from the National Education Association will spend the summer launching an unprecedented effort to educate state affiliates on the complexities of the reauthorized Elementary and Secondary Education Act, said Kathleen Lyons, a union spokeswoman.

The new law overhauls federal funding formulas, sets new school accountability rules, and mandates annual math and reading testing in grades 3-8, among other requirements.

To help its members get a grip on the new demands, the NEA will host three regional meetings over the next few months to brief leaders of the 2.6 million-member organization, Ms. Lyons said. All members are currently receiving e-mail alerts on the subject and have access to an ESEA telephone hotline.

In addition, one Washington-based union staff member will be solely responsible for aiding members during the implementation of the ESEA, Ms. Lyons said. The tutorials are “a sweeping change” in member services, she said, made necessary because “the changes in education law have never been so massive.”

But a union critic contends that the summer school sessions are really a way for the NEA to shape the outcome of the law at the state level.

The ESEA “contained a number of provisions not exactly to the liking of the National Education Association,” Mike Antonucci, the director of the private, for-profit Education Intelligence Agency, recently wrote in his weekly newsletter. “NEA is mounting an unprecedented effort to coordinate strategy in all 50 states to modify ESEA and to ensure that its regulations are developed and interpreted to the union’s desires.”

“He got it wrong,” Ms. Lyons maintained. “We’re not trying to negate the law.”

—Julie Blair

A version of this article appeared in the July 10, 2002 edition of Education Week

Events

Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Privacy & Security Webinar
Navigating Cybersecurity: Securing District Documents and Data
Learn how K-12 districts are addressing the challenges of maintaining a secure tech environment, managing documents and data, automating critical processes, and doing it all with limited resources.
Content provided by Softdocs

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Briefly Stated: March 13, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 21, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 7, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: January 31, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read