The Obama Administration will announce later today that it is awarding No Child Left Behind (NCLB) waivers to 10 states: Colorado, Georgia, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. New Mexico is the only state that applied for a waiver and will not receive one, although the state is amending its application in order to get a second shot. The Administration argues that the NCLB waivers are necessary because Congress has failed to rewrite the flawed law, and states can’t wait any longer for relief from NCLB’s …
There was no lack of education news in 2011. From an explosion in school choice options to the Obama Administration’s executive overreach, the top stories included the high and low lights when it came to issues affecting America’s schools. 10. Obama Administration orchestrates for-profit university witch hunt. On June 2, the Department of Education issued restrictive new regulations targeting “for-profit” higher education institutions. The new “gainful employment” regulation restricts access to student loans for students attending for-profit institutions (like Capella University or the University of Phoenix, for instance) if the school’s …
Tomorrow, the highly anticipated math and reading scores of our nation’s 4th and 8th graders will be released as part of the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Often referred to as the nation’s “report card,” the NAEP provides a snapshot of the educational performance of students throughout the country, which can be used to track progress over time and inform education policy. But don’t hold your breath for any drastic increase in student achievement. Sadly, tomorrow’s results, like the results of the past 40 years, could end up …
Just in time for Halloween, big government education advocates are rolling out frightening new education policies. On the K-12 front, Senators Tom Harkin (D–IA) and Mike Enzi (R–WY) have been busy creating a monster 1,000-page proposal to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), now known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Rather than sending the failed ESEA/NCLB to the graveyard, where it belongs, they are trying to grow the dead hand of big-government education. After eight authorizations of ESEA—and trillions in taxpayer dollars—we have little to show in …
If you think No Child Left Behind (NCLB) isn’t working, what Senators Tom Harkin (D–IA) and Mike Enzi (R–WY) have in mind for the nation’s schools is only going to make things worse. In an attempt to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education (ESEA) Act of 1965 for a ninth time, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee advanced a proposal late Thursday night with over 1,000 pages of federal policy for local schools. (As if NCLB’s 600 pages weren’t enough.) On top of the content itself, one more …
One of the main focuses of the Senate this week has been the re-authorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), known in this iteration as No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Heritage has been at the forefront of the opposition to the massive federal overreach in centralizing Education. Click here to Join us right now for our “Lunch with Heritage” chat. We are joined by Senior Education Policy Analyst Lindsey Burke and she takes your questions about what is in the latest re-authorization, and how Obama wants to re-authorize it. Lunch …
Remember when then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said of Obamacare that Congress will “have to pass the bill so you can find out what is in it”? Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) is now taking that approach with his attempt to revamp education in America. And just as that strategy was a terrible idea for health care, it’s the wrong move for education, as well. The Senate today will begin the markup of Harkin’s 860-page proposal to rewrite the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), now known as No Child Left Behind …
At the Heritage Blogger’s Briefing today, Senator Rand Paul urged Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman Tom Harkin to delay the mark-up of his 860 page proposal to rewrite the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, now known as No Child Left Behind: “It’s time to put an end to the status quo, slow down, read the bills, and truly work for the American people, not against them. I urge the chairman and ranking member to cancel tomorrow’s mark-up and allow everyone concerned the time necessary to read and evaluate …
The latest iteration of No Child Left Behind comes before a Senate committee tomorrow with bipartisan support. But if Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) has anything to say about it, the bill won’t go anywhere fast. Paul, the Tea Party favorite who won election last November, has promised to introduce 100 amendments, including a complete repeal of No Child Left Behind. That could significantly slow down the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. His approach seeks to reduce the federal government’s role in education and return control to local communities. …
For decades now, spending on public education has been increasing significantly, while academic achievement has remained stagnant. What if, instead of pouring money into failing schools, we give the money to parents and allow them to spend it any way they see fit on their children’s education? Well, in states like Arizona, education savings accounts (ESAs), which do just that, have become a reality and could be the future of school choice. Heritage’s Lindsey Burke explains what it means for some residents of Arizona: In April 2011, Arizona Governor Jan …
