Politicians, Stakeholders Focus on NCLB, National Standards

The 110th Congress had barely convened before attention turned to reauthorization of No Child Left Behind (NCLB). So far, none of the key forces involved in the reauthorization discussion have expressed any interest in significantly altering testing requirements, focusing instead on school choice, ways to help underachieving schools, and more rigorous standards.

The Bush administration's recommendations are featured in "Building on Results: A Blueprint for Strengthening the No Child Left Behind Act." The document lays out a push for private and charter schools as alternatives for substandard public schools. The administration also wants to give district administrators the ability to bypass the collective bargaining process, giving them more latitude for teacher placement. Under the administration plan, parents would be offered "Promise Scholarships" averaging $4,000 to apply to private school tuition or intensive tutoring for children currently attending schools that have consistently failed to achieve adequate yearly progress (AYP).

The administration is encountering resistance from among party ranks to NCLB as it currently is written. A coalition of more than 50 House and Senate Republicans is calling for radical NCLB reform through the introduction of bills that would enable states to opt out of the law's testing requirements. Neither bill would deprive states of federal funding; both would keep special education subject to NCLB.

The House bill would allow states to opt out of testing either by statewide referendum or through the consensus of two out of three of the following: governor, legislature, and/or state education chief. The Senate bill would allow states to negotiate a charter with the federal government as a means of opting out of NCLB testing.

The Democrats' approach to addressing schools in need of improvement focuses on offering incentives and professional development for teachers who accept assignments in underachieving schools. They are also calling for improved state services to those schools. Democrats oppose issuing vouchers for school choice, a stance echoed by major education groups, including the American Federation of Teachers.

Coalition Recommendations

The bipartisan Commission on No Child Left Behind recently released recommendations for NCLB reform after months of hearings nationwide. Led by former governors Tommy Thompson (R-Wisc.) and Roy Barnes (D-Ga.), the commission calls for the law's requirement for teacher quality to ramp up from "Highly Qualified" to "Highly Qualified Effective," which would tie teacher competence to student performance. The group also recommends correcting the inconsistency of standards from state to state by developing a "voluntary model of national content and performance standards" for math, science, and reading based on National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).

The Forum on Educational Accountability also released recommendations for NCLB reform. This coalition of organizations includes the National Education Association, the National School Boards Association, the American Society for Curriculum Development, and the American Association of Superintendents of Education. "Redefining Accountability: Improving Student Learning by Building Capacity," a forum report released in February, calls for the use of more measures than state assessments to gauge student achievement. The group would also like to see the 2014 accountability deadline eliminated and recommends that 20 percent of Title I funds go to teacher training/professional development.

Standards under Scrutiny

In addition to the predictable partisan divide on proposed changes to NCLB, some quarters are moving in favor of some degree of national standards.

Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) teamed with Rep. Vernon Ehlers (R-Mich.) to introduce the Standards to Provide Educational Achievement for all Kids (SPEAK) Act. The bill would encourage states to voluntarily adopt mathematics and science standards developed by the National Assessment Governing Board. The board oversees the NAEP.

SPEAK would offer grant money to states adopting the new standards. As currently written, the bill would also give participating states up to a four-year extension on the current NCLB-mandated proficiency deadline of 2014.

Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, introduced a bill to encourage states to close the gap between state and NAEP test results. The States Using Collaboration and Coordination to Enhance Standards for Students (SUCCESS) Act would offer financial incentives to states to collaborate on standards and tests that are "rigorous, internationally competitive, and aligned with postsecondary demands."

It remains uncertain whether NCLB reauthorization or the SPEAK or SUCCESS bills will be passed during this session of Congress, but with the presidential primary race starting so early, there's little doubt that education reform will be a front-burner issue.

Key Links

Building on Results: A Blueprint for Strengthening the No Child Left Behind Act

Redefining Accountability: Improving Student Learning by Building Capacity