NCLB: Reformers Sit #ESEA Debate Out At Their Own Peril
Where have all the reformers gone? A year ago they were everywhere, pushing to revamp teacher evaluation and end LIFO. Now when the NCLB debate is heating up it seems like they're nowhere to be found.
A decade ago when reform-minded education organizations like KIPP and TFA stayed out of the ESEA reauthorization fight, it was curious but not really a surprise. Nonprofits and reformers didn't really do policy back then, lobbied Congress only infrequently, and considered advocacy to be out of the question. The outcome wasn't particularly good from a reform perspective, as you may recall. The original version of NCLB's highly qualified teacher requirement classified TFA corps members as unqualified, which required schools to send a letter out to parents. TFA had to get the law changed and has had to protect it every year since then against folks like Public