Ever notice that it's always Arne Duncan or the pointy-headed wonks talking about how bipartisan education is and how the conditions are (always) ripe for a speedy reauthorization -- but rarely the White House or the education groups or the savvy political operators who actually know what they're talking about? Truth is, there's no real consensus that now is a good time for a big push to redo the law and in fact it might be a particularly bad time that could lead to the dilution and erosion of the law's best elements. Ask the most experienced Washington insider you know if now's the time for a NCLB revamp and see what she or he says. (Then ask if they've worked on the Hill or ever done a major reauthorization.) Meantime, here are some of the best reasons to wait that I can think of:
Really bad timing. There's no really good time to do a reauthorization except perhaps during the first year of a new administration when the White House and Congress are controlled by the same party.
