As President Obama prepares to deliver his latest State of the Union address, the administration is working at a fever pitch to put the final pieces of its backdoor education agenda in place. On Tuesday, the American people are sure to hear the president wax poetically about his efforts to bolster K-12 education, provide relief to states struggling under No Child Left Behind, and grant reprieve to... Read more »
President Obama has hit the campaign trail with full force in recent months, and the slogan du jour for the entire administration seems to be “We Can’t Wait.” U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has tied the phrase to education reform in speeches across the country in recent months, asserting over and over that the American people can’t wait for Congress to rewrite elementary and secondary edu... Read more »
When No Child Left Behind was signed into law 10 years ago, it was heralded as a game changer for education policy. It was certainly a strong step forward, but it has become clear the law is in need of urgent reform. Recognizing the shortfalls under current law, many states are taking matters into their own hands. At the behest of parents, teachers, and principals, reform-minded individuals are wo... Read more »
Last week, President Obama announced plans to streamline the federal government, starting with the consolidation of six federal agencies with overlapping authorities over business and trade. The president specifically asked for enhanced executive power to implement further “reforms that result in more efficiency, better service, and a leaner government.” Instead of announcing unilateral action to ... Read more »
How can the President of the United States make recess appointments when the Senate is not in recess? That’s the question many are trying to answer after President Obama made three so-called recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The appointments perpetuate fears about the NLRB’s job destroying agenda, and raise a number of constitutional questions that must be answered.... Read more »
House Education and the Workforce Committee Republicans recently released two pieces of draft legislation designed to rewrite elementary and secondary education law, currently known as No Child Left Behind. The Student Success Act and the Encouraging Innovation and Effective Teachers Act are commonsense proposals that will help raise the bar on student learning and put more decisions back in the h... Read more »
Late last year, the U.S. Secretary of Education took unprecedented action and announced a plan that would allow the administration to unilaterally dictate federal education policy without Congressional input. Secretary Arne Duncan’s plan to grant waivers for certain requirements under No Child Left Behind in exchange for states adopting the administration’s preferred education agenda has been call... Read more »
The teacher quality policies included in No Child Left Behind were intended to encourage better educators in schools. But in the 10 years since the law’s enactment, we’ve realized the requirements place too much emphasis on a teacher’s credentials and tenure, and pay little attention to student learning. Under current law, an educator is considered “highly qualified” if he or she has earned a bach... Read more »
This week, President Obama’s controversial recess appointments took their seats at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). A great deal of legal uncertainty is attached to these appointments and any future action the new board may take. While some question the constitutional implications of these recess appointments, many worry how the new board will affect the workplace. If history serves as a... Read more »
Despite good intentions, there is bipartisan agreement No Child Left Behind (NCLB) needs to be changed. One of the biggest failings of our nation's K-12 education law is its overly prescriptive accountability system, known as Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). The federally mandated system applies a rigid metric for gauging the progress of schools around the country. All schools that fail to meet tar... Read more »
