Federal

Alexander Bill Offers States More Latitude

By David J. Hoff — November 08, 2007 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

A leading Republican introduced a bill last week to create a pilot project to give states greater flexibility under the No Child Left Behind Act, even though it has become clear that the Senate won’t pass a bill to reauthorize the law this year.

Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee proposed giving 12 states wide latitude in devising accountability systems and intervening in schools that fail to meet their NCLB achievement goals. In exchange, the states would agree to increase the rigor of their standards.

“In other words, instead of saying: ‘Do it exactly this way’ to the states,” Sen. Alexander said in introducing the bill Nov. 6, “the federal government would be saying: ‘Give us results, and we will give you more flexibility.’ ”

Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings promptly announced her support for the plan offered by Sen. Alexander, who was education secretary under President George H.W. Bush and is the senior Republican on the Children and Families Subcommittee of the Senate education committee.

See Also

For more stories on this topic see No Child Left Behind.

“This legislation is a reasonable and responsible step forward as Congress moves toward reauthorizing No Child Left Behind,” Ms. Spellings said in a statement.

But it’s unclear whether Sen. Alexander’s bill—or any other NCLB proposal in Congress—will advance in the near future. The day before Mr. Alexander introduced his bill, a spokeswoman for the Senate education committee acknowledged that the panel is unlikely to have enough time this year to pass a bill to reauthorize the nearly 6-year-old law.

One week earlier, a spokesman for the House Education and Labor Committee said the House was running out of time to pass a reauthorization bill this year. (“2007 NCLB Prospects Are Fading,” Nov. 7, 2007.)

Seeking Bipartisan Support

Sen. Alexander’s bill seeks to respond to criticisms that the NCLB law is too prescriptive, while also maintaining the law’s goal of improving student achievement.

BLOG: NCLB: ACT II

Education Week‘s David J. Hoff keeps you abreast of the latest news on the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act. Read his blog, NLCB: ACT II.

To participate in the pilot, a state would have to agree to make its standards more challenging than they are now. The standards would need to be aligned with national and international exams, or to the admissions requirements of the state’s public universities.

After doing so, the state would be allowed to define what it would take for schools to achieve adequate yearly progress, and how the state would intervene in schools that failed to meet AYP goals.

A version of this article appeared in the November 14, 2007 edition of Education Week

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Student Achievement Webinar
Student Success Strategies: Flexibility, Recovery & More
Join us for Student Success Strategies to explore flexibility, credit recovery & more. Learn how districts keep students on track.
Content provided by Pearson
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Artificial Intelligence Webinar
Shaping the Future of AI in Education: A Panel for K-12 Leaders
Join K-12 leaders to explore AI’s impact on education today, future opportunities, and how to responsibly implement it in your school.
Content provided by Otus
Student Achievement K-12 Essentials Forum Learning Interventions That Work
Join this free virtual event to explore best practices in academic interventions and how to know whether they are making a difference.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Federal Education Department Launches 'End DEI' Website to Solicit Complaints About Schools
The Trump administration wants the public to report schools for using DEI practices.
2 min read
The U.S. Department of Education in Washington, D.C., is pictured on Dec. 1, 2020.
The U.S. Department of Education in Washington, pictured on Dec. 1, 2020. The Trump administration has launched a portal for the public to report schools engaged in DEI activities.
Graeme Sloan/Sipa USA via AP
Federal Opinion Education Leaders Need a New Playbook for Trump-Era Politics
Here are some defensive and offensive strategies we can take now.
Henry M. Smith
5 min read
A mid-century classroom filled with students, with playbook diagrams superimposed.
Education Week + CSA-Printstock + Getty
Federal Teachers' Union Sues Over Trump's Directive to End School Diversity Programs
A new lawsuit is challenging the administration's order to eliminate race-based practices of any kind or risk losing their federal money.
3 min read
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, speaks during the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 22, 2024, in Chicago.
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, speaks during the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 22, 2024, in Chicago. The teachers' union is the lead plaintiff on a lawsuit challenging a Trump administration directive telling schools to end race-based programming or risk losing federal funds.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Federal Explainer How Many Students May Be Affected by Trump's Immigration Policies?
Schools don't track student's immigration status due to federal law that grants undocumented students the right to a free, public education.
4 min read
Image of flags of the world.
tzahiV/iStock/Getty