What Reaction to Obama's ESEA Proposal Might Mean
So I'm sure you're well aware by now that the Obama administration released its blueprint for the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. You can check out our story here and take a look at the full document onlinehere.
When I made calls to get reaction for the story, what jumped out at me was the fact that, for the most part, lots of people seemed basically pretty happy with the general direction of the blueprint. (That wasn't the case nearly three ago, when Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, released a draft bill with some similar elements. That draft wasattacked by just about everyone.)
But this time, even folks who don't always agree with one another on policy direction (like the Education Trust, the American Association of School Administrators, and the Council of Chief State School Officers) found much to like in the blueprint. (Of course, all of those folks also said they were commenting based on the initial outline and were still waiting for more details. A lot could change when parts of the proposal are fleshed out further.)
Still, the first round of reaction would seem to bode well for the chances of actually getting reauthorization passed this year, right? Well, sure, but it's still gonna be an uphill battle.
One big reason? Both of the unions are really unhappy.
Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, told me that the plan would put "one hundred percent of the responsibility on teachers while giving them zero percent authority."
And Dennis Van Roekel, the president of the National Education Association, said in a statement that:
"The accountability system of this 'blueprint' still relies on standardized tests to identify winners and losers. We were expecting more funding stability to
