I was one of the first guesstimators on the block to predicat that NCLB reauthorization would get delayed, and if anything the situation seems worse now than ever.
What makes me say that? Most of all, it’s that the Administration decided to roll out its reauthorization proposal now, on the heels of the State Of The Union, instead of waiting for the budget proposal next week, or waiting for the Baker Plan Aspen Institute Commission report next month, or -- God forbid -- developing a joint plan with Congressional Democrats.
Maybe they wanted to do one of these things, but were rebuffed or their hand was forced. Maybe there were other imperatives, or distractions. And, to be sure, rolling their plan out now allows them to do what they did for many months on the Iraq War -- say “we’ve got a plan, where’s yours?”
But it also means that they get beat up on, since they’re the only ones out there. It’s not a very bipartisan way of going about things, and some of the provisions are pretty inflammatory (ie, over-riding charter caps and teacher transfer provisions). All this could slow things down and make things more contentious, though it may affect the outcome very little.