Join the conversation

Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (currently known as No Child Left Behind) has long been a concern among the education community and policymakers, but this issue has experienced more buzz within the past several months.

While up till now gaining broad support among policymakers for a focus on ESEA legislation has been slow, there are indications that reauthorization may have turned a corner and could happen in the relative short-term. This is in part due to effects of Education Secretary Arne Duncan’s active effort speaking on behalf of reauthorization in public forums and in meetings with legislative members for the past two years, and to claims that Obama is set to make education a major priority, starting with his upcoming state-of-the-union address (January 25) that is supposed to highlight education. As Susan Ochshorn of the Huffington Post relays, both Obama and Duncan are connecting education—and ESEA renewal—to economic recovery, national security, and civil rights, and there are reports that the administration plans to make ESEA a top priority. Further, there are various Republicans—both in the House and Senate—that agree with at least some of the administration’s ESEA proposals, both Republican and Democratic leaders of the House and Senate education committees say they want to move forward, and virtually all policymakers agree the bill needs an overhaul.

On the other hand, even though Republican committee leaders support ESEA reauthorization, some other Republicans are casting education as separate from more immediate needs like the economy and overhauling healthcare reform. Further, it is unclear that Republicans will want to allow Obama to score political points in getting ESEA passed. Education week’s Alyson Klein argues that House Speaker John Boehner (R—OH) will be pivotal in the process, and he could pull the plug if he feels the political imperative to do so. (Since he chaired the House education committee when No Child Left Behind was approved, however, there is hope he recognizes the importance of enacting new education legislation.)

Others are unoptimistic about chances of passing the bill more due to internal divisions within the parties, especially the Democrats—some of whom are conflicted between allying with the president versus education groups that disagree with administration positions but that are traditional democratic supporters (including many LFA member organizations, who have expressed concern with some aspects of Obama’s ESEA blueprint).

Further, different policymakers have different ideas of appropriate timelines and scale of education revision. Sen. Tom Harkin (D—IA), chairman of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, has stated he wants his panel to consider a bill by Easter, and bring the measure to the floor by late spring. However Rep. John Kline (R-MN), chairman of the House Education and Workforce Committee, told LFA members that since he has received so many new members with the recent Republican election landslide, his committee is unlikely to have concrete measures prepared anytime soon. In addition, while the administration and Senate committee favor a broad rewrite of the bill, Kline, Rep. Hunter Duncan (R-CA)—chair of the house Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education—Rep. Boehner, and other Republicans are pushing for a series of small education bills. Arne Duncan has said he is open to that idea, but is wary of leaving major problems unaddressed.

While this piecemeal approach has benefits—such as allowing for thorough attention and debate on specific critical issues—some Democrats are concerned it could slow the process so that overhaul is not achieved before the 2012 campaign. Since the campaign is likely to complicate efforts, and since enthusiasm for this issue may not last interminably, some are concerned this could curtail the momentum necessary to effect passage.

Thus, while ESEA reauthorization is increasingly an issue of interest among policymakers, the various dynamics involved with passage make it difficult to predict the course and timeline of this effort. We certainly hope that the interest and dedication to this issue that many policymakers currently display will be enough to allow its approval this term.

Image by Raul654