Some people predicted House Democrats would introduce an NCLB bill this week.
Wrong chamber and wrong party.
Sens. Judd Gregg and Richard Burr--both Republican members of the Senate’s education committee--released their version of a reauthorized bill today. From the press release on Sen. Burr’s site, it doesn’t look as if they would change much.
They would keep most of Secretary Spellings’ “core principles.” That includes goals of proficiency by 2013-14, annual testing grades 3-8, focus on reading and math.
It also promises: “Additionally, the bill would streamline the accountability timeline to make it easier for schools to develop and implement plans to improve student achievement and to focus on what matters most—teaching and learning. It would also expand options available to parents and place a greater emphasis on teacher quality.”
We’ll know more about that when we can see the bill in the Congressional Record tomorrow.
P.S. The bill includes the Graduate for a Better Future Act, which I wrote about here.
P.P.S. Secretary Spellings likes the bill.
