‘No Child’ law not a hit with U.S. Senate hopefuls
Candidates agree act is flawed but differ on how to improve education
LEILA NAVIDI
Republican U.S. Senate candidates Sharron Angle, John Chachas, Chad Christensen, Sue Lowden and Danny Tarkanian during a debate on “Face to Face with Jon Ralston” at the KVBC studios in Las Vegas Tuesday, May 18, 2010.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010 | 2 a.m.
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Harry Reid
Whoever is elected to Congress in November will review the No Child Left Behind law, looking for ways to improve the landmark federal legislation that uses standardized tests to judge schools’ progress. It’s part of the reauthorization process for the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which allocates funding to the nation’s public schools.
The Obama administration is seeking several key changes, including a shift away from automatically allocating dollars based on enrollment and a move toward competitive grants such as “Race to the Top.” Winning states will share $4.4 billion for innovation, reform and teacher development. (Nevada, which missed the deadline for the first round of grant awards because of a conflict in state statute that had to be revised by the Legislature, is one of 38 states competing in the second round.)
The U.S. Education Department is encouraging common standards in core academics, which can vary widely from state to state. Also up for revision: No Child Left Behind’s original goal that every public school student demonstrate proficiency in reading, writing and mathematics by the 2013-14 academic year. Education Secretary Arne Duncan is pushing for the federal law to reset its sights on a goal of high school graduates who are prepared for the workforce or higher education.
The Sun talked to the leading U.S. Senate candidates about their views on No Child Left Behind, Nevada’s chances in the Race to the Top and the move toward competitive grants.