ODYSSEYWARE

As 2010 appraoches, No Child Left Behind (NCLB), the federal law that has determined much in education policy over the past decades, faces its third year without being reauthorized by Congress. Upon reaching this milestone of sorts, it is worth considering the many percolating proposals and approaches that would reauthorize the landmark legislation. Over the coming weeks, this blog will follow many of the debates over its reauthorization and the possible avenues that will be taken to achieve reform.

Withouth question, NCLB has drawn its share of opponents. Everyone understands, however, that it has changed the playing field in our country, standing as the central legislation by which all schools operate and by which parents and students evaluate education experiences. Prior to its passage, little was available by way of data or student-tracking that provided a clear snapshot of where students were in their progress. With its passage, schools have struggled to keep up with its mandates and aggressive benchmarks, creating frustration (and motivation) in attempts to meet its mandates. Teachers we speak to say, quite succinctly, “NCLB is a mess. But we needed something like it.” So with this backdrop, policy makers can take heart that their work might consist of tweaks, rather than a full overhaul of work completed only eight years ago.

From a 30,000 foot view level, it is hard to determine whether the law has a chance of being brought up in the near future. Congress’ attention has been directed toward health care reform, climate change legislation, financial regulatory reform and oversight of an economy that at times teeters on edge. With this full entree of work, Education reform seems destined to be relegated to the back. This would be a mistake from our perspective. Addressing the future sustainability of this country and providing economic security for students entering a global marketplace is one of the strongest arguments for putting education reform at the front of the queue of tasks.