Education

Rep. Jackson Joins School Boards’ NCLB Bill

October 26, 2007 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

What does the namesake of a civil-rights leader from the South Side of Chicago have in common with a Caucasian Republican from Alaska who lives seven miles north of the Arctic Circle?

They agree on how to fix No Child Left Behind.

Boardbuzz—the official blog of the National School Boards Association—announced in this item that Rep. Jesse L. Jackson Jr., D-Ill., has endorsed the association’s NCLB bill. The bill, H.R. 648, is sponsored by Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, a former teacher.

This alliance shows how mixed up the politics of NCLB can be. Jackson’s action is another sign in the split among members of the Congressional Black Caucus (which I’ve written about here and here). Likewise, Young’s sponsorship of the NSBA plan highlights that not all Republicans fit neatly into the same NCLB camp. NCLB stalwarts want to hold the line against changes, while conservatives want to turn all of NCLB into a block grant. Yet Young and five other Republicans are aligned with a school organization that wants significant changes to accountability and other measures without block granting the bill’s programs. Jackson is the third Democrat to co-sponsor NSBA bill.

The Boardbuzz item links to a helpful document that compares current law, the NSBA plan, and the House discussion draft. You can see that NSBA would get some of what it wants from the House draft. Is it enough to win the association’s endorsement? In testimony and written comments to the committee, NSBA stopped short of backing the draft, saying it appreciated some of the proposals and is concerned about others.

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

Events

Student Well-Being K-12 Essentials Forum Boosting Student and Staff Mental Health: What Schools Can Do
Join this free virtual event based on recent reporting on student and staff mental health challenges and how schools have responded.
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
Curriculum Webinar
Practical Methods for Integrating Computer Science into Core Curriculum
Dive into insights on integrating computer science into core curricula with expert tips and practical strategies to empower students at every grade level.
Content provided by Learning.com

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: October 11, 2023
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: September 27, 2023
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Briefly Stated: September 20, 2023
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education From Our Research Center What's on the Minds of Educators, in Charts
Politics, gender equity, and technology—how teachers and administrators say these issues are affecting the field.
1 min read
Stylized illustration of a pie chart
Traci Daberko for Education Week