Education

New Bill Offers Flexibility, Demands Rigor

November 07, 2007 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Even though NCLB is stalled in the House and Senate, its supporters aren’t giving up.

Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., introduced a bill yesterday that would make a deal with up to 12 states. In exchange for increasing the rigor of their standards, they could bypass many of NCLB’s prescriptions. The states’ standards would have to be aligned with the states’ definition of college readiness or international or national benchmarks. But states would get complete control over how to determine whether schools are making AYP and how they will fix the schools that don’t reach their achievement goals.

“In other words, instead of saying: ‘Do it exactly this way’ to the states,” Sen. Alexander said when introducing the bill yesterday, “the federal government would be saying: ‘Give us results, and we will give you more flexibility.’ ”

It’s early, so it’s hard to know how much support this bill will get. On paper, it looks like it answers criticisms that NCLB is too prescriptive. But it also keep NCLB’s focus on improving student achievement.

Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings is endorsing it. “This legislation is a reasonable and responsible step forward as Congress moves toward reauthorizing No Child Left Behind,” she says in this statement.

A version of this news article first appeared in the NCLB: Act II blog.

Events

Budget & Finance Webinar Leverage New Funding Sources with Data-Informed Practices
Address the whole child using data-informed practices, gain valuable insights, and learn strategies that can benefit your district.
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
Classroom Technology Webinar
ChatGPT & Education: 8 Ways AI Improves Student Outcomes
Revolutionize student success! Don't miss our expert-led webinar demonstrating practical ways AI tools will elevate learning experiences.
Content provided by Inzata
Classroom Technology K-12 Essentials Forum Tech Is Everywhere. But Is It Making Schools Better?
Join us for a lively discussion about the ways that technology is being used to improve schools and how it is falling short.

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: May 31, 2023
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: May 17, 2023
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: May 3, 2023
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: April 26, 2023
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read