7 Thoughts on What's Ahead for the Student Success Act
by Frederick M. Hess • Jul 18, 2013 at 9:05 am
Cross-posted from Education Week
Cross-posted from Education Week
With the House about to move on the Student Success Act (SSA), the NCLB/ESEA reauthorization dance is back in full swing. Reporters are calling, heated e-mails are flying around the Beltway, and policy types are making heated declarations. For what it's worth, here's what's on my mind:
1] The most interesting development in the House is going to be how much grief Chairman Kline and K-12 Subcommittee Chair Rokita get from their right. This is another case of the fascinating politics in the House, where diehard conservatives like Kline and Rokita are going to get knocked around by Tea Party members and hard-right advocacy groups who think even their bill involves far too much of a federal role. Given that the SSA isn't likely to get many Democratic votes, Kline and Rokita probably need to carry at least 80% of House Republicans. In light of recent events, I'm dubious they can get there.
2] Those R's who want the feds "out" of K-12 schooling really need to be consistent and call for zeroing out IDEA, Title I, and the rest. Since they have no intention of doing that, they need to recognize that responsible federal lawmakers absolutely ought to insist on some transparency about academic outcomes and how the federal money is spent. And, like it or not, some federal language governing use of funds is going to be inevitable.
3] SSA's particular appeal to Republicans is the opportunity to rein in Sec. Duncan's expansive and creative use of waivers. The problem for Kline and Rokita is that governors, state chiefs, and superintendents who've
