It's now March, and the pace of activity around reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act will begin to pick up. To date, there has been a middling amount of rhetoric. The House held a hearing on education and the regulatory environment, the Senate has seen moderate Democrats come together for a "Statement of Principles to Fix the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)." The "Big 8" have sat with Sec. Duncan to discuss the reauthorization. All the while, Sec. Duncan continues to advocate for the Blueprint that ED released last year, and the President's proposed fiscal year 2012 budget is nearly identical to its fiscal year 2011 proposal (which Congress rejected). [...] Read more
President Obama issued his strongest call for ESEA reauthorization this year while delivering a