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By Judy Nichols Douglass | Published Mon, Mar 15 2010 8:55 am
On Saturday, the Obama administration released its blueprint for overhauling the 2002 No Child Left Behind Act. US lawmakers are to consider the blueprint — and make their own revisions - as part of a reauthorization process for the education law.
Although the administration’s proposals would change many things about No Child Left Behind, one central component would remain: annual tests in reading and math for students.
On the other hand, one component that is likely to go away is the very name “No Child Left Behind.” Administration officials have indicated that the law should take on a new name, though this point wasn’t brought out in the blueprint.
Beyond the likely name revision, here are five key changes that the Obama administration is proposing:
In a development related to this goal, the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and the National Governors Association (NGA) have drafted a set of “common core” academic standards for US students.
Now, administration officials are encouraging a broader outlook. “Students need a well-rounded education,” the blueprint declares, and it cites disciplines including history, civics, foreign languages, and the arts.
And the proposal outlines opportunities for rewards. “The schools, districts, and states that are successful in reaching performance targets ... will be recognized,” the blueprint reads. “Rewards may include financial rewards for the staff and students ....”
The Obama administration’s budget for 2011 would increase competitive funding by $3 billion, according to The Wall Street Journal.
But this proposed change could meet with resistance from Congress, especially Republicans. Education Week quotes Alexa Marrero, a spokeswoman for Rep. John Kline of Minnesota, the top Republican on the House Education and Labor Committee: “It’s disappointing to see [tutoring] and school choice removed from the parental toolbox, particularly because it appears the focus is shifting to the needs of schools rather than the needs of students.”
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