NCLB: Act II
NCLB: Act II covered federal developments affecting education. This blog is no longer being updated, but you can continue to explore these issues on edweek.org by visiting our related topic pages: federal.
Education
NCLB's Prospects Dim for '08, McKeon Says
Regular readers may have noticed that I haven't reported anything about the House's progress on an NCLB bill. That's because there's not much to report, according to Rep. Howard P. "Buck" McKeon, R-Calif., the senior Republican on the House Education and Labor Committee.
Education
'Persistently Dangerous' Label Doesn't Work, Spellings Says
Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings might be best known for her assertion that NCLB is 99.9 percent pure. (That, and her collection of eyeglasses.) She later backtracked, saying she meant the goals and structure of the law are close to perfect, even if some of its details need fixing.
Education
'Common Core' Seeks to Rescue Liberal Arts
The debate over whether NCLB has narrowed schools' curricula has a new player—a group called Common Core.
Education
Don't Let States Escape on Funding, Civil Rights Groups Tell Judges
As I noted earlier, several of the National Education Association's allies don't like the union's legal position in its suit against Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings. Michael Rebell, a successful school finance litigator, suggested in his blog that states could use the union's unfunded mandate claims as reasons to cut spending.
Education
Democratic Candidates Want Better Tests for NCLB
How would NCLB change if a Democrat were in the Oval Office next year?
Education
NCLB's Accountability Rules Promote Dropouts, Study Finds
Some advocates have been lobbying to make high school graduation rates part of NCLB's accountability system. The current emphasis on test scores gives high schools the incentive to shove low-scoring students out instead of addressing their achievement issues, they assert.
Education
CEP Adds Fuel to Fire of Curriculum Debate
Over the past month, the wonkish education bloggers have been debating whether NCLB has had the effect of narrowing school curriculum. (See Sherman Dorn's excellent analytic summary, and eduwonk's recent postscript.)
Education
PBS Show Covers How Business Benefits from NCLB
With the financial markets closed for Presidents Day, the "Nightly Business Report" on PBS aired a special report on "The New Business of Education." The reports covered the growth in the testing and tutoring industries in the NCLB era. It includes an interview of me, answering questions on the prospects for national standards and how NCLB is playing on the presidential campaign trail.
Education
McCain on Vouchers: Accountability for All?
I trolled through the Internet and dialed up a bunch of Arizona sources to find out as much as I could about Sen. John McCain's background on K-12 education. Read what I found at McCain Emphasizes School Choice, Accountability, But Lacks Specifics.
Education
All Politics: McCain on NCLB, Obama on Vouchers, and More
Mike Petrilli suggests that Sen. John McCain has "zero interest in education." That may be true. But the Republican senator from Arizona does have an informed opinion about NCLB. In the YouTube video at the bottom of this post, he calls NCLB "a good beginning" that has "some things that badly need fixing." Not a very detailed policy position. Watch it and you'll see that McCain understands the law and has some ideas about how to change it. MM, does that mean McCain's grade is still "incomplete?"
Education
Commenters Criticize Spellings After Homecoming
Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, at right, is barnstorming states trying to improve NCLB's image. The press coverage of her stops so far has been rather favorable, leaving out some of the voices of the law's most strident critics. See, for example, this story in the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Education
Democrats on Bush Budget: Wait Till Next Year?
After President Bush released his budget last week, Democrats in Congress treated it as if it were dead on arrival.
Education
'Troublemaker' Finn Recalls Setting 'Proficiency' Standard
Like him or not, Chester E. "Checker" Finn Jr. has been a major player in the biggest education policy debates of the past 40 years. In roles at the White House, Capitol Hill, academia, and think tanks, Finn has helped push charter schools into the mainstream and has been a stalwart supporter of private school choice. Both have expanded dramatically over the past 15 years. He explains his role in those and other education debates in "Troublemaker," published this month by Princeton University Press. The book is "a personal history of school reform since Sputnik," according to the subtitle.(The book's jacket is at right.)
Education
Are NCLB and IDEA in Conflict?
Are the testing requirements under NCLB and federal special education law in conflict? That's a question that two school districts and four families asked a federal appeals court.