News Brief
01/21/13
Because of congressional inaction on the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the administration has issued waivers from the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), the law's current iteration, allowing states to get out from under key mandates in exchange for embracing the administration's education redesign priorities.
But the waivers don't provide enough predictability for states, most of which are in the midst of moving toward new academic standards, assessments, and teacher-evaluation systems, said Peter Zamora, the director of federal relations for the Council of Chief State School Officers. He also noted that another federal debt-ceiling fight is in the offing, and automatic spending cuts of 8 percent for key federal programs loom.
"It becomes particularly challenging for practitioners to plan, if you don't know what NCLB will look like, or what your federal funding will look like," he said. "We're urging Congress to reassert itself and provide some stability."
Crush of Education Laws Await Renewal in Congress
By Alyson Klein, Education WeekThe new, still-divided Congress that took office this month faces a lengthy list of education policy legislation that is either overdue for renewal or will be soon, in a political landscape that remains consumed with fiscal issues. But it's tough to say whether there will be much action on outdated legislation-including the No Child Left Behind Act, which has awaited reauthorization since 2007.Because of congressional inaction on the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the administration has issued waivers from the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), the law's current iteration, allowing states to get out from under key mandates in exchange for embracing the administration's education redesign priorities.
But the waivers don't provide enough predictability for states, most of which are in the midst of moving toward new academic standards, assessments, and teacher-evaluation systems, said Peter Zamora, the director of federal relations for the Council of Chief State School Officers. He also noted that another federal debt-ceiling fight is in the offing, and automatic spending cuts of 8 percent for key federal programs loom.
"It becomes particularly challenging for practitioners to plan, if you don't know what NCLB will look like, or what your federal funding will look like," he said. "We're urging Congress to reassert itself and provide some stability."