Casey―and ASCD―at Bat for Well-Rounded Ed. Policy
The No Child Left Behind Act's (NCLB) narrow focus on student achievement in English language arts and mathematics has been a point of contention since the law's enactment, and has become especially problematic in more recent years with the increased interest in college, career, and citizenship-ready students.
That is why educators were so disappointed that the original Harkin-Enzi ESEA reauthorization bill did not include provisions to support other core academic subjects that result in a more well-rounded education. The exclusion was as disappointing as it was surprising given that the Obama administration's blueprint―upon which the Harkin-Enzi bill's framework was patterned―includes such a section.
Fortunately, this oversight was corrected thanks to a Senate Education Committee-approved amendment by Senator Robert Casey (D-PA) (with the strong backing of Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA)), which establishes a grant program for the arts, civics and government, economics, environmental education, financial literacy, foreign languages, geography, health education, history, physical education, and social studies.
The Casey amendment is a critical first step in greater federal recognition of the importance of all core academic
