It is perhaps an inconvenient truth that there are several other issues that take attention away from school reform -- today’s Congressional appearances by Al Gore on global warming being just the latest example -- not only potentially delaying consideration of NCLB but also diluting attention towards reducing the achievement gap, reining in the testing companies, or whatever else might need doing. Walter Reed and Alberto Gonzalez are recent examples. Health care and entitlement reform are even more relevant, since at least some of their work takes place in the same committees that cover education.
But the good news is that, at times, good work on education issues gets done and progress is made when education is out of the spotlight and at least some of the scene-stealers on both sides are distracted by other issues.