Duncan Hopeful on ESEA, and Eager for Campaign Trail
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan told a room full of Washington reporters today that he's still hoping to move on a bipartisan reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act early next year. But, when asked if he'd like to change anything in the Obama administration's blueprint for renewal, released last March, he said only that he'd like to beef-up parent involvement, while offering few other specifics.
Duncan was also asked about the four school Improvement models outlined as a condition for federal turnaround aid, which folks (including members of Congress) have said are too prescriptive. The models will almost certainly be a major ESEA flashpoint, whenever reauthorization happens.
Giving schools clear choices on how to turn around struggling schools makes more sense than allowing them to simply continue with "the status quo," Duncan said. But he added that the four models are not the final word on
