What will be in the next No Child Left Behind?

Changing No Child Left Behind bit by bit

The controversial education law No Child Left Behind is a decade old and is overdue for renewal by Congress. Now both the House and Senate are stirring, and soon negotiations may heat up over the future of education policy.

Until recently efforts to reform No Child Left Behind had stalled, and federal policymakers have proposed piecemeal changes to education policy. To the relief of most state governments, last month the Obama administration waived some of No Child Left Behind’s toughest demands around standardized testing that required  all students to be 100 percent  proficient in reading and math by 2014. Without the waivers, schools nationwide would have faced escalating penalties of staff firings and school shutdowns.

The House has also been attempting piecemeal education reforms. A recent spending measure in the House would eliminate Race to the Top, a competition hosted by the Department of Education that rewards states for enacting policies favored by the Obama administration, such as adopting nationwide standards, expanding use of charter schools, and performance testing teachers.

The House continues to propose education reform bit by bit. In a rare sign of bipartisanship, the House last month passed an expansion of federal support for charter schools. It is expected to deal with the issues of accountability and teacher quality before the end of 2011.

Learn more about child care and Head Start in our recent infographic.

New efforts at a comprehensive overhaul of No Child Left Behind

Now legislators may be ready to reform No Child Left Behind head-on. The Senate will take up a reauthorization of No Child Left Behind this month. While the details aren’t available yet, the legislation is the product of 10 months of negotiations between Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Sen. Michael Enzi (R-WO).

Harkin, the chairman of the Senate Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, and Enzi, its ranking member, have announced that markup will begin October 18 at 2:30 p.m. We don’t know yet what they’ll propose, but Harkin has said in the past that No Child Left Behind needs an overhaul, and the Iowa Democrat generally favors greater support for early learning programs.

In a statement, Sen. Harkin said: “The legislation that I will bring before the HELP Committee reflects two years of bipartisan hearings, discussions, and negotiations and almost a decade of learning from teachers and parents about the strengths and weaknesses of the No Child Left Behind Act. Our bill will take important steps to advance the state, local and federal partnership that is needed to improve educational equity and ensure all students graduate from high school prepared for success in college and careers.”

You can help child policy right now! Learn about the issue of high poverty schools in our recent infographic and take action!

Voices advocates arguing nationwide for education reforms

Voices for America’s Children, as always, is weighing in on the policies most important to promoting learning. While we continue to speak out here in Washington, D.C., some of the most exciting work is being done at a series of town hall meetings being held by our state members.

Thirteen Voices members are conducting a series of town hall and community meetings in targeted states. These states represent 41 percent of the population, and meetings so far have been great successes. A meeting in Arizona by our member Children’s Action Alliance hosted Rep. Raul Grijalva for a discussion of education policy that was attended by 80 people, including teachers and activists.

The purpose of these meetings is to educate key decision makers and the general public about priorities in the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind. These meetings are also providing opportunities for Voices members to discuss the importance of high-quality early care to ensure students are ready to learn when they start school.

Six town hall meetings have already been held by Voices members in Virginia, North Carolina, Arizona, New Jersey, New York and Illinois. Additional meetings will be held in South Carolina, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Michigan and Ohio.

What would you ask your representatives about education in America? Send them a message using our Facebook app!