Friday, February 19, 2010

House Republicans, Democrats Announce Bipartisan Effort to Rewrite NCLB


The Washington Post reported Thursday that a bipartisan group of senior Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. House will team up to rewrite No Child Left Behind.

In a joint statement, the Reps. George Miller (D-California), Dale E. Kildee (D-Michigan) and Michael N. Castle (R-Delaware) said: “Today, we’re announcing a bipartisan, open and transparent effort to rewrite No Child Left Behind – a law that we all agree is in need of major reform.”


Click here to read the full joint statement.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna is also involved in the rewrite of No Child Left Behind at the national level. In 2009, he was appointed to serve on the Council of Chief State School Officers’ committee for the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind.

No Child Left Behind is the 2001 law that increased accountability in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) by requiring public schools to meet certain measurable student achievement goals for all students. Congress is expected to address the reauthorization of the law soon.

The Council of Chief State School Officers created the 18-member ESEA Reauthorization Task Force to work directly with the White House and members of Congress on the Reauthorization of No Child Left Behind. The task force will hold its first meeting this week in Washington, D.C.

Superintendent Luna worked extensively with the No Child Left Behind Act when he was appointed to serve as a senior advisor to U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige from 2003 to 2005.

"No Child Left Behind reminds me of the movie The Good, the Bad and the Ugly because there is something of everything in there," Superintendent Luna has said. "My goal is to make sure we preserve the good parts of the law, remove the bad parts and change the ugly parts. In the end, I hope the reauthorized No Child Left Behind will offer more flexibility for rural states like Idaho and recognize students' academic progress as well as their proficiency on statewide assessments."

Learn more about the ESEA Reauthorization Task Force or read the full Washington Post article online here. 

~Melissa M. 

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